Lake Washington / Magnuson Park

The water conditions are mostly flat and choppy. Higher wind can create swell with 2-3ft, but not near as big as Puget Sound. Rigging is on grass, since there is no beach at Magnuson Park. Kiters launch and land at the south end of the park, near the boat launch. Access to the water is between trees. There are also big boulders on the shoreline. The trees create some bad gusts, and lulls. Most kiters receive hold downs while launching, and walking to the water. Along the shoreline, trees and bushes block most access to the water. If you get caught down wind, there are only a few small clearings, where a kiter can come back to shore. No body will be there to help you land. When you get close to the clearings, you will have to land your kite in the water, and self rescue to shore. Then deflate your kite to walk back. The place works best in winter and spring in southerlies, before and after southerly storm fronts. If the wind is SW a few trees just south of the launch can produce a narrow wind shadow and make it very dangerous to launch and land. Magnuson is good on South winds. Strait South, and Southwest are the best. Around summer the water temp is in the mid 70's°F. During winter, it's really cold, around 40°F. Water: Flat, Chop, Smallwave. Features: Parking. Rider ability: Intermediate, Expert.

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