I think most people neglect this park in their hurry to get to the locks and the fish ladder. This…read moreis a nice park with benches and paved walkways. Immerse yourself in watching the boats from afar, and maybe even have a small picnic. You won't be competing for space even if the near by attractions are packed with people like sardines. The park is well maintained and very accessible to everyone of all ages and abilities.

Commodore Park is an unassuming little park on a hill on the south side of the Ballard Hiram Locks…read more In and of itself, it has next-to-nothing, park wise, and I normally would not have written a review for it. But I found a worthy reason to write. The parking is free here! The chances of a visitor finding this review is pretty low, but if any locals are following me and goes to the locks for themselves or out of town visitors. Well, save yourselves a few bucks by mapping to here instead. If you look at Google map, this park is the southwest edge of the locks. Near the street side (highest elevation), it has a fantastic view of the locks itself. There's a small parking lot, and there is street parking. The area is residential, so the parking is free. Unlike the official parking lot on the north side, that's paid parking. There is a short trial that will take you down to the Fish Ladder and the Ballard (Hiram M. Chittenden) Locks. A part of the trails is pretty and shaded with trees. With the breeze from the water, this walk is much welcomed on a sunny day. Be sure to cross to the north side for the visitor center of the Locks and the rose garden.

Great park with beautiful scenery and different routes to choose from. It was quite peaceful other…read morethan the sound of cars driving by when you're parallel to the road. The sound of the creek made up for it and was a nice surprise. The paths were enclosed with trees in some areas and open in others. One side you get views of the ocean and the other side is solely Forrest views. Both are beautiful and a sight to see.

We stopped by recently while roaming the island. We made a loop by taking the Ridge Loop trail to…read moreFern Gulley, around to check out the ancient cedar, into the old campground and back to the parking lot via the Forest Discovery trail. The trails were narrow and a bit muddy, but in good condition overall. The ridge section was okay, but we really enjoyed the scenery as we dropped into Fern Gulley...every shade of green, very pretty. The ancient cedar was a beautiful sight. Great views of the mountains and water from the short Discovery trail. And I always enjoy wandering through campgrounds being reclaimed by Mother Nature. A fun stop-off as we headed up to Deception Pass. Maybe not epic, but certainly an enjoyable trail system.

Great beach that's close to a lot of amenities. There's an ice cream shop near by as well as…read moreseveral restaurants, and of course a little further is downtown Edmonds. The port of Edmonds marina is right adjacent so you can watch boats sailing in and out, and people going about their business. It gets quite busy on a nice day. There's a boardwalk area that has sinks for cleaning fish and areas to cast your line. There's also a fish pen that's being used to raise fish for sport and increase the fish stocks for recreational anglers. You can see the glint of scales every so often! Lots of great bird watching here as well. The beach here is also very nice, with some cool critters to see at low tide. There is a visitor center which was closed when I visited, although the bathrooms were open.

Olympic Beach is a great place to visit to watch the Edmonds Ferry and walk the boardwalk area. If…read moreyou are visiting between June through August it's a warm climate, outside of these months I would bring a top or jacket because the weather maybe cool.

There's not that much parking in the lot, but we were able to find a spot because we came on a…read moreweekday. I knew double bluff has an off leash section, but the multiple signs were confusing, especially the ones that say only humans can enter through a certain point. It was nice to see showers and dog washing stations, but the lower ones weren't working, and the main showers only work if you keep pressing. The only bathrooms were portables. It's a long walk to the off leash section, so if you want more room to yourself, you have to go farther. The beach was shallow enough for a long ways. The seaweed closer to the parking lot side of the beach seems to be wasting much of the shoreline, unless it's always like that. There were multiple dry sheets of seaweed throughout the sandy parts, but they can be avoided since the beach front is so vast.

Best beach I've been to on Whidbey Island and it's always my go-to. Clean and so much sand for…read moreeveryone to spread out. Great for kids - lots of wood forts and a sand dollar haven when the tide goes out. We've also clammed here and had success. Highly recommended!

Heritage Park is a not-so-hidden gem that somehow only the very-locals make their way there, even…read morethough it is steps away from the ever-so-popular Marina Park. This park is behind the Heritage Hall with easy walking paths for a stroll, see the water from a distance, walk the dog, and/or play tennis. They have two tennis courts (see photo). During springtime, they have several cherry blossom trees that bloom beautifully. Parking is plentiful by the street or use their small lot (see photo). I usually am walking over from downtown to extend my walking distance. There are two benches to enjoy the water view. There are no official children's play area, though there are some natural stones for climbing in a separated area (see photo). This park is simple, immensely peaceful, and a great place to just chill.

Cute green space park within Kirkland to walk along or take your dog to go for a run. Nice views of…read morethe water and some tennis courts on one end with some beautiful flowers near Heritage Hall. The park has several lots to park along and a few minutes walk from the Marina Park pavilion and nearby coffee shops and stores on Central Way.

Woodway Reserve provides access during daylight hours to some of the wooded beauty of Woodway up…read moreclose. Giant trees tower overhear and lay on the ground decaying, forming homes for various plants and animals. The full reserve is spread out across an upper reserve and a central reserve. The upper reserve is easily accessible from the small parking area on Timber Lane. The central reserve also has a gate entrance on Timber Lane that I found to be held open by a chain when my mom and I visited earlier this month. Both reserves have additional entrances/exits that come out in different places. Fun to explore and see where one comes out. On one of our visits earlier this month we heard two different owls calling to each other while we were exploring. We also heard the call of, but did not find, the Douglas' Squirrel. Both reserves provide quiet serene places to walk and clear one's mind. A small pavilion in the central reserve provides a secluded place to sit and read a book, journal, or meditate. Paths are well maintained and the park upkeep as a whole is well done. An entirely beautiful park to explore.

This is suppose to be a waterfront public park in the city of Lake Forest Park but the town has…read moredone NOTHING to maintain the property and you can't even see the Lyon Creek because it's totally grown over by weeds and invasive brambles. The existing trees that aren't dead, are way overgrown and very little of park is accessible because of this. The beach sedimentation has built us so much along the entire shoreline and they don't want anyone swimming here at a Waterfront park. What kind of waterfront park says NO to everything. The benches on the property are all facing weeds so can't see beyond to see all of the water. Please call the City of Lake Forest Park to ask them to get this park cleaned up including dredging the shoreline!!! So sad to see what a mess this place has become. City Hall: 360-368-5440

Secluded small park off the Burke-Gilman, right next to the Sheridan Beach Club. Perfect for a…read morerest while running/biking/walking/rollerblading through Lake Forest Park. The park is small, but serene. Most of the space follows Lyon Creek under overhanging foliage, with a bench and boardwalk to enjoy. Where the creek meets the lake, there is a small dock and bench to frequent. Have not seen any salmon running up the creek as of yet, but that would make my day. Overall, it is small but extraordinarily peaceful and well restored. Good vibes only.

Short half-mile loop walk through a beautiful forest with rushing falls on the river. While the…read morefalls themselves are not spectacular like other waterfalls along Hood Canal, the walk gets five stars from me because it's so impeccably maintained by the community (presumably volunteers). There are lots of interesting signposts along the route and you can tell this place is lovingly looked after by the community. It's a pretty easy walk -- my parents are in their 70s and had zero problems. (There's a flight of stairs near the waterfall but other than that, it's an easy stroll.) To get to the walk, drive toward Port Ludlow but don't go all the way to the water's edge where all the touristy stuff is -- instead, turn right on Breaker Lane where the RV park is, and then turn right again into the Port Ludlow & Associates building parking lot. (Put "Port Ludlow & Associates" into your Google maps for the best driving directions.) Drive all the way to the end of the parking lot and you'll find a little community patch of lawn with planted trees that leads up to the trailhead at the edge of the forest. Turn left at the trailhead sign (for a better walk experience) and follow the loop around to the falls. Again, don't expect any spectacular waterfalls, but this is a great easy "back to nature" walk that leaves you with a nice feeling because of how the community looks after it.

This is a cute lil trail. Not much to do around Port Ludlow so I'd highly recommend this based on…read morethe close to zero options you have! It's a loop trail so just keep walking. An easy half mile (?) and boots will be fine but white shoes are a no go :(