Sunnyside Beach Park

Sunnyside Beach Park sits on the Steilacoom waterfront a short distance north of Saltar's Point, at 2509 Chambers Creek Road. The site is a gently sloping sandy beach with 1,400 feet of saltwater shoreline and two underwater features that draw divers: an abandoned sewer pipeline running offshore from the wind pavilion, and a scatter of small wrecks off the pilings area to one side. From the entry, the bottom slopes out to a maximum depth in the 61 to 70 foot range, and the site is not current sensitive, which is why it sees regular use as a beginner training beach.

The park is operated by the Town of Steilacoom rather than by a state agency, and it is not part of any Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife conservation designation. Both features are what draws divers to Sunnyside Beach Park, and reported average visibility on typical days runs around 5 to 10 feet.

Two biomes overlap on this beach. Across the gently sloping sand near shore the site reads as a surf zone biome, the shallow entry that makes it work for beginners. Farther out, where the sewer pipeline and the small wrecks sit on the bottom, the hard structure carries a rocky reef biome that concentrates fish and invertebrates against the surrounding sand. Diver reports from the site describe sculpin and small rockfish around the pipeline, anemones on the structure, and snake pricklebacks appearing through the summer months.

On-site parking carries a $10 per-vehicle fee for non-residents, and the park opens a half hour before sunrise and closes a half hour after sunset; restrooms, showers, drinking water, picnic shelters, and a playground are all on site. Marine Area 13 rules govern harvest at the site: all rockfish are closed to retention year-round, and lingcod spearfishing runs only from May 21 through June 15 under a 26 to 36 inch slot and a one-fish daily limit. Giant Pacific octopus and wolf eel are protected as no-take species statewide, and those closures have been enforced by WDFW under Washington fishing rules.