There are two main beaches where bonfires are legally permitted: Alki Beach Park and Golden Gardens Beach Park. Both Parks offer beach-side fire pit areas on a first-come, first-serve basis. It is important to note that there are designated areas where fires are permitted to be lit and all fires must be put out completely when finished. Additionally, the firewood must be clean and pallets are not permitted. . Acceptable firewood is natural, bare, clean, dry cord-wood which can be purchased at many hardware stores.
Blake Island Campgrounds, Lake Easton Campground, and the West Port Lighthouse Campground and RV Park are just a few examples of campgrounds in Seattle where bonfires are permitted. All of these campgrounds have designated firepit areas where visitors are welcome to burn clean wood during designated times. Be sure to call the campground ahead of time to find out the properties specific regulations and firepit availability. As always, be sure to properly extinguish the fire when leaving and to not burn trash, only clean wood.
Throughout the Seattle regions there are a variety of state parks, such as Seattle's Fay Bainbridge State Park that offers hiking, recreation activities, and most important, a firepit area with five fire circles. Many of the same rules apply in state parks as most beaches and campgrounds except that collecting wood from the state park is strictly prohibited in Washington State. Make sure to call ahead to check for equipment availability and to stock clean wood prior to leaving for the state park.
Although Seattle has a variety of outdoor activities that involve roughing it around a firepit, there are a great deal of restaurants in Seattle that offer dining around a bonfire. Restaurants like The Matador Ballard, which offers more of a large, indoor fire place, manages to encompass the feel of an outdoor bonfire; the Tammirind Tree has a stone table around a large fireplace and Tillicum Village boasts a four hour dinner cruise where once docked on Blake Island, cruise-goers can watch Chinook bake salmon on wooden sticks around a warm, inviting bonfire.
