Steel Lake, connected to Steel Lake Park in Federal Way, Washington, is one of the most popular and…read moreaccessible lakes in the area. It's a wonderful community destination because it's easy to reach, and both the park and lake are generally kept clean, attractive, and well maintained. Like many popular recreation areas, the lake can become quite busy on warm days and weekends, and occasionally some litter is left behind. What I appreciate is that by the next morning the area is often cleaned up again thanks to the hard work of park staff and community members who help keep the park looking its best. One of my favorite things about Steel Lake is that it is stocked with trout once or twice each year, providing great fishing opportunities throughout much of the season. Visitors come here to fish, swim, kayak, paddleboard, and enjoy boating, with only battery-powered motors permitted on the lake. Overall, Steel Lake is a fantastic local resource that offers something for everyone and remains one of the best places in the area to spend a relaxing day outdoors.

So much to do and so much fun activities for the kids!!…read more They fixed the playground so there were additional games the kids can do. The best part is you can visit their website and you can check if the water is okay for the kids to play with . There's usually an update regarding if you can swim and such. The only thing I'm worried about is when there is no one there to facilitate the other kids swimming, because I noticed there were lots of kids who goes there without their parents or guardians. The cops do come around for their rounds sometimes, but not all the time . I always have my eyes on my kids because there were sooooooo many people and soo many kids during school break holidays and I can't even imagine summer break. If you want to entertain your kids for hours bring them here and just have a picnic and enjoy the sand with the kids. Don't forget the shovel and bucket though lol.

I saw the City of Lakewood post about Wards Lake Park's recent renovation and added it to our list…read moreof parks to check out during spring break. So glad we discovered this new to us spot! This property is pretty big. We GPSed to the north entry of the park not realizing how far the south was. We started at the big north playground which my kids loved. Huge wooden play structures with lots to climb on, and there's an awesome bike/scooter track which we will definitely be back to visit. There's lots of trails to explore too! If our kids were a little older we probably would've walked the trails to the south part of the park, but we were unsure how long that would take with our youngest so we decided to drive. It was about 5 minutes away, so probably was a good call. The south playground is much smaller but my kids still enjoyed it. There's swings, a little excavation toy, and two huge slides that my kids went down a ton of times. There's also a picnic table right near the playground which was the perfect spot for lunch time. So glad that we got to check out this park and it'll definitely be added to our summer rotation.

Ward Lake Park has more potential than what it has achieved at this point. I felt like the most…read morescenic part of this park was from the parking lot where you can walk to one tip of the lake. It had geese and a crain that we admired as well as three different colors of dragonflies flying around on a pier. There are lots of trails that go into the wooded areas and the three or four loops that all interconnected are fun to walk on. As you continue on one particular trail past the loops in the direction of the interstate things get more uncomfortable and less scenic. On the path that goes in this direction, the lake path I believe it is called goes through an asphalt paved circle that has since become overgrown. Around here and past that we encountered homeless people and there was rubbish all over the place back there . There were several paths that started from the asphalt area and the brush was not cut back as much so that was another reason if we wanted to go further. Not only that but Ward Lake isn't quite as pretty here like how it is by the parking because the surface of the lake has moss or algae growing on top of it and you don't get to see much of the lake itself at that point because of this. So if you decide to do Ward Lake I'd suggest to stay close to the parking lot and enjoy the lake from that end and don't go too far on the path designated as the Lake Path.

Not much sand to really feel like a beach. Hella dirt instead that we were sunbathing on, so bring…read morea towel or a blanket to lay on. Water was very beautiful and super duper clear. So many water activities going on left and right with people fishing, jetskiing, riding on their personal boat, etc. it was a good time all around. Do not think that you can drink here. Be sure to bring snacks and drinks, especially with the hot weather going right now in the month of June 2026. Pick up after yourself so we could continue to have this beauty, please! Watch out for the military police. Multiple sites to rest at, including summer cove where I was at with my Asian migration group, hehe! Many parking spots no matter where it is that you and your group decide to settle at around this site.

Out of all honesty I'm hovering between three to four stars on this park. Much of it revolves…read morearound the timing of when you go here I imagine. Most of the surrounding shore that makes up American Lake looks to be private and this park seems to be more of a boat launching point for the general public to use for utilizing the lake. The park itself is quite small and that also goes for the parking lot as well. The day I went was a warm day so the park was full as well as the designated lots. Filled lots for certain parks often times in neighborhoods aren't really that big of a deal because you can use curbside parking that is usually nearby but in this part of Lakewood there is no curbside parking at all and it looks like parking in front of someone's house doesn't seem like it's a good idea because one gets the idea you are parking in their yard and not on a curb. So what I did was park in an area that was designated for a school and carefully looked for any parking restrictions given the amount of time it would take for me to walk to the park, check it out for a bit then walk back. This proved to not be an issue parking here but the walk was a bit long. Fortunately the day that I picked to go to American Lake was a clear day and if you walk to the boat docks you can get a good view of Mount Rainier and the the lake itself is very pretty. But don't assume you can get a clear view of the mountain all of the time. Overcast is not unusual. There is also a decent looking beach here as far as lake beaches go but like everything the day I went it was fairly crowded. The boat ramp was in full use as well and a line of cars were waiting to unload as well. Definitely a very busy park the day I went despite it's size. Aside from the crowds this park isn't too bad and if you can enjoy the view of Mount Rainier and the water I'd definitely bump that aspect of the park up to four stars.

We showed up in August hoping to rent kayaks. Due to algae bloom it was not safe to go in the lake…read more They charge to go in the lake. When I went thru the gate, there was no mention of the lake being contaminated. Other than that, it was a nice lake. Will try it again next summer.

Family picnics here many times, always turned out great. Well kept grounds boat launch and lake…read moreclose by. Playgrounds for the kids just a great place

Hidden gem of a playground!…read more I've lived just a couple miles from here for years and never knew this place existed until I accidently stumbled on it this week. It's a beautiful and spacious park (5 acres total) with: -2 LARGE open grass spaces -A small, circlular walking path (away from the playground mostly) -2 baseball diamonds (1 with a cage & small bleachers, 1 just inside the grass, almost hidden) -Several benches and picnic tables, some of them under shelter -A nice playground The playground: -Very good size (not giant, but not tiny) -Looks-like-new equipment -Lots of different climbing structures -Several slides -A separate area for swings (2 standard, 2 bucket/toddler swings) -Bark flooring No parking lot but street parking on all sides. This is in a very low traffic area (speed limit 25) and the park itself seems not to ever be very crowded so parking should not be an issue. Named in dedication of Sam Peach, former Puyallup School District teacher, Superintendent and city Mayor (1980's). Definitely will be back!

Nice park!! I took my ten months old hear to check it out on a Friday afternoon. There was no one…read moreat the park during our time. He enjoyed the swing, and since we had the place to ourselves, we took our time and played for a while. I will come back on another day.

I visit this park twice a year but multiple times each trip. This park is quiet, clean, and very…read morepeaceful. Even when the airplanes fly over head it's not annoying in my POV. Small yet quick trails are here too for kids and parents a like.

The park it self is pretty nice and right next to Manitou elementary. The playground equipment is…read morebrand new and it includes swings, two play structures, climbing rocks, and other fun things that children can explore. The park is also very large with plenty of grass, trees for shade, picnic tables, covered eating areas, and restrooms. This really is an ideal place to spend a few hours letting the little ones get some exercise and have a picnic if you wish. So why only a three stars you ask? The neighborhood is AWFUL!!!! It is full of rift rafts who congregate at this park at all hours. During the day your likely to run into teenagers skipping from near by high school and middle school and occasionally you get a few tweekers who lay on the benches or sit on the playground equipment talking to themselves. The teenagers are the worst of the bunch, they come to smoke cigs and be as vulgar as possible. They also use the equipment for drawing inappropriate pictures on as well as their own personal toilet (I have seen this more then once). It's really a shame cause like I stated earlier this is a great park that is just suffering because it is being overrun by delinquents.

We really like this park. It's a perfect place to throw out a blanket and read a book. Or let…read moreyour kids run around on the playground. Well kept and clean.

This is a tiny little park that is hidden away. There's a small playground there, but it's not…read moreanything fancy. My husband and I stumbled upon it as we were leaving the BPA trail and was curious if the trail continued on the other side of 356th and had an entry point closer to our home. Unfortunately, the park is at the end of the trail and leads into the area under the power lines which run along the BPA Trail.

Its a clean well maintained neighborhood park on the BPA trail. Has slides, swings, and trails for…read morethe kids. Doesnt get to crowded except when its nice out and all the young teens come out. I would recommend coming during the day when the other kids are in school.