Medina Beach Park sits at the foot of Evergreen Point Road on the east shore of Lake Washington, on the 1.44 acre point where the Leschi ferry from Seattle used to land. The City of Medina owns it and runs it, and there is no fee to swim, to park, or to use the dock. Medina charges nothing and asks nothing of non-residents. Nothing in the city's park code draws any line between residents and visitors, and the city describes the place as a year round destination for residents and for visitors to the area. City Hall and the Medina Police Station share the site, so the parking is the same modest lot that serves the municipal offices at 501 Evergreen Point Road, and it fills on hot weekends. Everything around it is residential street, and Medina's traffic code lets the city manager post permit-only or time-restricted blocks by sign, so read the signs before leaving a car on the street.

The swimming is a 50 foot strip of sand with walk-in entry, backed by lawn that rises toward the buildings. A low rock jetty runs out from the north side of the beach and takes the edge off boat wake coming down the lake. A float is anchored offshore for older kids to swim out to, and a dock with a ladder reaches past the point for anyone who would rather get straight into deep water. Walking on the jetty, and jumping or diving from it, is prohibited by city ordinance, so the rocks stay off limits.

Medina Police hires eleven or twelve lifeguards each summer and staffs the beach from the end of June through the end of August. In 2020 the posted schedule was noon to 6 pm daily, weather dependent, and the window shifts a little year to year. When the guards are on and the swim area is roped, swimming is confined inside the lines, flotation devices stay inside with it, only front jumps are allowed off the raft, and no boat or paddleboard may enter the swim area. Outside those weeks the beach stays open and unsupervised. Children under eight must be with an adult.

Several rules catch visitors out. Dogs are banned from Medina Beach Park altogether, which is stricter than the leash rule that applies at Medina's other parks. Alcohol is not allowed in any Medina park. Park sites close between 10 pm and 6 am. Only craft that can be hand carried may be launched from a Medina park, which rules out anything trailered but leaves the dock area open for kayaks and paddleboards.

The outlook is the reason people stay. Downtown Seattle stands across the water to the southwest, Mercer Island closes off the south end of the lake, and on a clear day Mount Rainier shows above the far shore. Restrooms, drinking fountains, picnic tables, benches and bike racks are all on site. There is no playground and there are no trails, so this is a sit-and-swim beach rather than a place to spend a whole day walking.