Bush's Pasture Park is easily my go-to park in Salem. I come here for walks, to relax in the shade…read moreunder the huge trees, wander through the roses, and visit my favorite cherry blossom tree every spring. I also love all the flowers up on the hill on the south side. On the northeast side there are SO many little rodents running around. They're fun to watch, but don't feed them, you're not supposed to, and clearly they're doing just fine on their own! There's a creek where you can sit and relax, or even put your chair right in the water on a hot day. There's a tree swing, beautiful old trees everywhere, and always something to explore. I also love stopping into the art barn. It's free and filled with local art, and I try to go through every time they change the exhibit. There are tons of events held here throughout the year, and the park is almost always full of people walking, playing, picnicking, or just enjoying the day. It's one of those places I never really get tired of. Definitely one of my favorite spots in Salem.

An expansive park, filling blocks of space that includes pathways, a stream, a playground, play…read morefields and tennis courts (?) and so much lovely nature. Our autumn walk was gloriously sunny and full of fall colors. It's lovely to be able to walk through a park on a break or time away from the nearby hospital and surrounding businesses.

This is a really great park sitting along the Willamette River. The park has a nice large…read moreplayground; it would only be better if there was a fence but there are steps so that slows a kiddo down. The Riverfront Park includes the playground and just grassy area (which is nice for all the folks we saw picnicking), and the carousel, plus food trucks congregate in the amphitheater area sometimes. The day we were there there were three of them and plenty of space for a couple more. Nice option to go grab a snack. There were a few picnic tables and we were able to claim one of them. The bathrooms were pretty gross. There was no soap or anything in them and one was in yucky shape. That led us to the port-a-potty, which was pretty gross but a little less gross than the permanent toilets. There's a large parking lot here since they must have lots of various activities taking place here. I'm glad we visited here (at a friend's recommendation) and got to enjoy this (mostly) well-kept park.

My 4 year old and I came down to Salem to tsp the Enchanted Forest. So the day before we explored…read moreSalem. This park was worth the afternoon stop. A carousel ($2 person-go to gift shop to buy the coins) Large grassy areas to run or let the dog roll around (on leash). Really large area of outdoor play area with climbing, swings and slides. Of course the iconic walking bridge. Recommend: pick up some bbq from The Back Porch on Edgewater (5 min drive) and picnic. See review of restaurant

What a lovely park! We took our 7&4 year old here the other day and they thoroughly enjoyed it. It…read morereminds us of a park in trout sale called imagination station. There is plenty for them to do and restrooms are available as well.

Very big bass I got a 15 pounder and it is really easy to catch you just have to go on the dock and…read morecast out to the middle

The Independence Dog Park is the first in this community. There is a large dog area and a small…read moredog area. Both are fenced. There is water available for dogs and also a trash can!

I prefer the Minto dog park in Salem…read more This park is really muddy. There is one tree for shade, and most people aren't cleaning up after their dogs. There are also people that come here who are unpleasant. Let's not even mention the people who can't control their dogs. On the plus side, they have a dog water fountain, person fountain, and a portable toilet. However, I can get that at almost every other dog park I've been to.

Great place in town to take a break. Easy trails to follow…read moreand walk on. Beautifully maintained area. Trees and animals to see. Great benches to stop and enjoy the area. A couple ponds to enjoy a water area for viewing. Well marked area. Also has some laminated cards for kids to find different things on the trails.

Peavy Arboretum is an OSU Forestry Classroom and an excellent comparison of what a normal forest…read moreshould look like compared to an overgrown one after a hundred years of fire prevention. There are areas that are in excellent condition and other areas being maintained and worked on to be brought back into a 'natural' state. There are numerous easy hiking and running trails and the place is dog friendly. We took one of our dogs today and had an excellent hike along well maintained trails that have enough signage and maps to help you navigate. Parking is fairly plentiful and there are also stations that provide 'gift bags' for picking up anything our four leg friends leave behind. This is a dog friendly park and the rules are relaxed as long as everyone is under leash or verbal control. We were there around midday and it was not crowded at all. Everyone that was there was pleasant and well mannered, as were the people who were walking them. I would recommend this arboretum for a nice hike in a healthy forest. A place where you can observe wildlife as well as reacquaint yourself with the different species of trees and plants that are well marked. Best of all, it is free.

This is a simple yet nice state park- there isn't much parking, just a few spaces, but I went…read moreduring the week on an overcast day so it wasn't busy at all. The restrooms are brand new (sticker said 2021,) the trails are well maintained and easy, and it is right by the Willamette River. Not a lot of trash and random people hanging out, though I did see the cap of a needle (at least if someone was shooting up, they picked up their needle.) Lots of wild animal scat, which made me wonder what sort of wildlife I would see during the early morning and evening hours- it appeared to be bobcat and coyote, though I saw some that looked oddly like black bear. The hike's aren't terribly exciting, but it's easy and probably good for kids or people that don't particularly like hiking.

Very cool city park in Dallas. There's a Japanese garden, trails along the river, play scapes, and…read moreduring better weather, picnic tables. It's fairly large for a small city park.

Wonderful park; well kept grounds. Connected to an arboretum too…read more Plenty of space; restrooms; picnic tables; parking and a fishable creek that runs through the center. Also walking paths and frisbee golf. Play grounds for the children. You can rent the little kitchen area for large group cooking events, I believe. Great place to walk.

Very nice little park. Great playground, courts for basketball, small skateboard area, paved path…read morearound large open field, covered table area. Very limited parking.