If You Can Find It Before Summer Is Gone, Lake Ballinger Is Great For Water, Sun, Fun

If you go: Ballinger Park is open from dawn to dusk. To reach the park from the south, take Interstate 5 to the Edmonds ferry/Mountlake Terrace exit and continue north to the 236th Street S.W. exit. That road becomes Lakeview Drive which leads directly to the park. From the north on I-5, take the 220th S.W. Street exit and head west on 220th. Turn south on 66th Ave. W., then west on 236th. For the tee-time reservations for the golf course, call 775-6467.

-- MOUNTLAKE TERRACE

Two to three times a week, 62-year-old Ervin Dauenhauer wheels his trusty sailboard down the sidewalks of Mountlake Terrace to Ballinger Park, a half-mile from his home.

On the fishing dock at Lake Ballinger, Mikki Moss of Lynnwood describes another gray-haired sailboarder she sees here when she comes to fish for rainbow trout. "He's this really old guy who can hardly walk. But I tell you what, he's like a swan out there," she says as she looks out over the lake.

It isn't every city park on the shores of a 100-acre lake where you can have breakfast on the weekend (including homemade cinnamon rolls), find a good deal on a cotton sweater, play nine holes of golf with a couple of challenging par-5 holes, fish for trout, take the dog for a walk, go swimming (there's no lifeguard on duty), throw a private party in the community center, kick back over a beer and nachos in the clubhouse or drop in on a class in aerobics, photography or windsurfing.

It's only a matter of minutes before Dauenhauer is out on Lake Ballinger, skimming the waters on his sailboard in the cool afternoon breeze.

Steve Twidwell of Lake Forest Park isn't far behind. His 10 years of windsurfing experience slow him down momentarily while he considers his options, given the variable weather. He owns four boards, 14 sails and four masts. Twidwell, who starts work as a milkman each morning at 2:30, also can be spotted sailboarding on Lake Ballinger two or three afternoons a week.

"This is a nice little family beach," Twidwell says as he leashes his dog to a nearby picnic table.

Wendy Barry, recreation and parks director for Mountlake Terrace, agrees that the lake is a challenging one for sailboarding, although beginners' classes, offered every weekend during the summer months, haven't been a big draw this year.

Ballinger Park is an often overlooked urban wonder, 55 acres of golf, fishing, sailboarding, soccer and softball playfields, a playground for tots, a tennis court, and a clubhouse and community center with a pro shop and restaurant. Some say if it weren't for the fact that you can't walk around the lake, the setting and facilities would overshadow Seattle's popular Green Lake.

The clubhouse and community center, open almost two years, is soon to be dedicated and named the Mickey Corso Community Clubhouse. Corso served as the city's director of recreation and parks for 18 years. He died of a heart attack last year at age 48.

The facility was designed with recreation classes as well as weddings and meetings in mind. The Lakeview Room can seat 200 and offers catering. The Ballinger Park restaurant also is available for private parties of 60 or less.

One reason the park isn't more heavily used is that unless you're approaching it from the south on Interstate 5, it's easy to miss. Unless you know 236th Street becomes Lakeview Drive, all the winding residential roads and dead-end circles make it difficult to find.

That also is part of the charm, as is the fact that gas-powered motors are prohibited on the lake for water-quality reasons.

Everybody has something to say about the waterfowl in the area. Jan Japar, who oversees the operation of the golf course, just rolls her eyes. She cites a Mountlake Terrace city ordinance that prohibits the feeding of the waterfowl. If people would stop feeding the ducks and geese, maybe they'd migrate, she suggests.

Daunehauer revels in the bird politics. "The people over there on the Edmonds shore want to keep the birds and the people over here in Mountlake Terrace want to get them out of here," he says.

Tom Oines of Brier brought his two sons and a neighbor boy to fish and swim during a recent visit.

"We come here for swimming most of the time," Oines says as he helps one of the boys untangle his fishing line. "I really think coming here is much better than going to Green Lake."

Got a great idea for a local getaway? Give us a call at 745-7800 or write to us at Seattle Times Snohomish County Bureau, 1211 164th St. S.W., Suite 101, Lynnwood, WA 98037.