Waverly Beach Park is owned and operated by the City of Kirkland Parks and Community Services Department. It sits at 633 Waverly Park Way in the Market neighborhood, a little north of downtown Kirkland on the eastern shore of Lake Washington, and covers about 2.8 acres. Most of that is sloping lawn that steps down to a short crescent of sand. The park is small and hemmed in by houses, and on a hot July afternoon it is busy.

The swimming is the reason to come. A low wooden sunbathing dock runs out from shore, turns, and comes back in a U shape, closing off the swim area from the open lake. Inside that U the water is protected from boat wake and from the wind that funnels down the lake. There is a shallow section at the sand and a deeper section out toward the dock, separated by a buoy line. Kirkland runs a waterfront swim test at its guarded beaches: children 12 and under have to pass it before going past chest depth or crossing the shallow water buoy line, and children 6 and under need an adult in the water within arm's reach at all times. Diving is not permitted anywhere at Waverly Beach, in any depth, at any time. Jumping off the dock is allowed as long as you face forward. Paddleboards, kayaks and canoes have to stay out of the roped swim area, and motorized boats are required to hold 100 yards off the dock ends. City code also confines shoreline swimming to the restricted swim area or to within 50 feet of shore unless a boat is with you.

Lifeguards are City of Kirkland staff. For the 2026 season King County lists Waverly as guarded daily from July 1 through September 7, noon to 6 pm, with no guards from August 31 through September 4, and none on days when the air temperature is under 65 degrees or the weather turns. Coast Guard approved loaner life jackets are kept at the lifeguard office and cost nothing to borrow. Outside that window the beach is unguarded and you swim at your own risk.

Park hours are 5 AM to 10 PM. There is no admission charge, no parking charge and no charge to swim or use the dock. The only fee the city attaches to Waverly is the picnic shelter, which rents for 110 dollars resident or 132 dollars non resident per block, either 9 am to 2 pm or 3 pm to 9 pm, or 205 dollars resident and 245 dollars non resident for the full 9 am to 9 pm day. The shelter caps at 30 people, comes with no lawn access, and has to be booked at least seven days out and no more than six months out through kirklandparks.net.

Parking is the genuine constraint here. Two small lots open off Waverly Park Way, about 40 marked spaces between them according to the city's own rental site matrix, plus whatever street parking is left on a narrow residential road where the neighbors have already taken most of it. On a warm weekend those lots are full by late morning.

Amenities are modest and well kept. There is a playground with slides on the bank above the water, the reservable shelter with picnic tables and fixed charcoal barbecues, restrooms open roughly mid March through the start of November with a portable toilet the rest of the year, a seasonal drinking fountain, an AED mounted on the restroom building, a fishing area on the dock, and carved cedar benches along the waterfront. Renters bring their own charcoal. Personal charcoal grills are banned, though gas grills with a drip pan are allowed. Alcohol, drugs and glass containers are prohibited under Kirkland Municipal Code. Dogs are welcome on leash in the park but not in the designated swim area. Do not feed the waterfowl.

Water quality is monitored by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, which samples this beach weekly from mid May through mid September for bacteria and toxic algae. Results feed the county lake swim beach map and the Swim Guide listing for the park. When levels exceed safe thresholds, Public Health Seattle and King County recommends a closure and the city posts the beach closed to water contact, usually for about a week until a clean sample comes back. Waverly has been closed on those grounds before, so it is worth checking the county map the morning you head over. Bacteria are not tested outside the summer season.