Beautiful little(accent on little) park…read more It's a great way to get a scenic view of the water but probably come during a weekday when it isn't overwhelmed with visitors. Also there are some hiking trails you can go off on. No covered eating area though which is a bummer on a rainy day.

On a somewhat rainy day, my family and I were interested in exploring Bainbridge a bit. We found…read moreHidden Cove Park but honestly questioned whether we were going the right way a number of times. Finally, we reached a small parking lot in a wooded, grassy area on a hill that overlooked the water. There was a stairway down to the water. The stairway has seen better days and given how slippery it was, a number of us decided to stay on the hill. Some of our group ventured down on the floating dock which was about as wobbly as the stairs. The dock was a nice setting for some beautiful pictures! This is a nice park for a picnic, to eat your lunch in the car, or to have a few minutes of peace to yourself.

Generally my family heads out to Lake Chelan and i was invited out to visit at Lake Cushman this…read moresummer. There are so many beautiful pockets to take in the views & nature'The drive in is beautiful and not too far out, depending where you're staying (vacation residence, campgrounds). Beautiful lake, cold temperatures due to it being a glacier lake - the water is so clear ! Would love to go on some hikes and spend more time out there. Im so grateful that theres so much to see and do in out here in the pnw!

Stunning. Just a really beautiful lake and surrounding forest, like so much of the national park…read more Swimming is good here but be brave for the cold water. There are 3 boat ramps. Camping and fishing are permitted.

I stayed for the weekend nearby, decided to walk to the park. Terrible decision because the side…read moreroads are tiny with no sidewalks. Cars are zooming by and there's a corner where they wouldn't be able to see. Because the former reviews are older. I was hoping to play at a playground. There is no longer a playground and just a sad swing set with two regular swings and two baby ones. It rained the day before and my feet were an inch deep into the grass and mud, which were filled with geese poop. There is a bathroom and a big field to walk around in. There is also a nice baseball field to play. There is a community room to host events and etc. And a lot of parking space.

This park is actually really nice and really quite big. There is a baseball field and a really nice…read morecommunity center perfect for like a family get together or maybe for a small wedding reception or bake sale or square dance (see pics). There is also a nice playground with moderately decent equipment. I thought it was cool that this park had recyclers and solar powered trash compactors everywhere. Awesome for alternative power. There is also a fishing pier. Huge access to the water. You can walk right up to the lake so watch your kids! Bring a folding chair and just sit back and relax by the lake.

What?! 3-stars? For...nature?…read more Yeah, I did it. If this were a hike in Indiana, or Ohio, or Kansas, it would easily be 5-stars. But, for Washington? Home to THREE National Parks, the largest glaciers in the lower 48, temperate rainforests, and hundreds of miles of coastline? Nah. This is an A-OK hike. It goes to a lake surrounded by forested hills. It looks like many lakes in WA and OR that are surrounded by forested hills. There aren't sweeping views of the Olympic Mountains, there aren't craggy cliffs overhead. There's lots of forest, and a pretty big lake. If you're super into lakes and trees, you'll dig this. But, you can find prettier lakes (Flapjack Lakes) via Staircase: https://www.yelp.com/biz/staircase-area-olympic-national-park-hoodsport And you can find prettier forests via Hoh River Trail: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hoh-rain-forest-visitor-center-forks If you're more into mountains and scenic vistas, Ellinor is much more rewarding and relatively close-by: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mount-ellinor-hoodsport SIDEBAR: this is the trailhead you climb "The Brothers" from. I can't really recommend climbing this mountain. The trail starts to fizzle out past Lena Lake and eventually becomes a full-on bushwhack. Route finding starts to take more time than actually moving. You'll second guess your every move, mutiny will be in the back of the mind for you and your comrades. The route up the mountain is also kind of winding and confusing. In early season, watch out for avalanches! One of our people got swept away by one while on this mountain, luckily she only had a sprung (It's my mission to make this word the past tense of sprang) ankle.

This hike is perfect for an beginner-intermediate hiker. It's easy to get to & even has a paved…read moreroad up to the trailhead as opposed to the primitive roads often near trailheads. They have vault bathrooms at the beginning of the trailhead near the parking lot. I checked the bulletins and signed the registry and headed up. I instantly noticed a difference from other trails I've been on in that the majority if not all the trail is shaded so even though it was like 85+ degrees when I went, it felt much cooler and there was even a breeze at times so the heat/sun wasn't an annoyance. The trail is a general medium uphill travel. I loved that it was gradual and not just a sharp incline with a huge amount of switchbacks like other trails. It's only about 1200-1300 elevation gain total. This trail allowed me to pace myself and not stop too much to take a breath. I was able to just keep going. I also liked that the trail was wide enough in most places where 2-3 people and pass each other at one time as opposed to having to yield. I also liked that even though I went on a Saturday around 10:45am the trail was practically empty. Such a difference from the trails near Snoqualmie and North Bend. Nobody appears to want to come down toward the Hood Canal to hike. You can hear the water throughout your trek uphill so it's a relaxing hike....is that even possible? I had seen a wooden sign about a mile before the lake that said Lena Lake but what I didn't notice was the word Upper in front of Lena Lake. I actually passed the lake because I didn't see the lookout point to my right and I actually went another 1.5 miles before my intuition told me to stop. Upper Lena lake is about another 7-8 miles past Lower Lena Lake, and I was definitely not ready for that plus the hike down. I will say that the bugs get a lot worse the higher up you go, or at least they did for me. I passed two huge wasp/hornet nests and they just don't leave you alone no matter how much you swat. I also ran into some friendly grouses. No bears or mountain lions this time thankfully. Anyway, on the way back down to the lake I went off the trail a bit toward Lena Creek and there were a lot of campers and people filling up their water. You can also cross a log bridge which I believe takes you to the Brothers trail. FYI: The lake is on your right about 3.5 miles up from the trailhead. Then if you want, you can trek a mile or two down hill to get closer to the ground level of the lake as opposed to peering out over it on the rocks. My hiking app kept telling me the lake is called Olympic National Forest Pond. There were a few rowdy tubers on the lake that were disturbing the peace of the outdoors, but to each his own. Overall though, I will definitely be doing this trail again as it was the perfect length and also has the nice treat of the lake once you get to the end. Definitely take a reasonable amount of water (I took 1.5 Liters) and some food/snacks and even some swimwear. Please take your trash and doggie doo bags out with you. I did notice a few spots where there was dog feces directly on the trail or doo bags throw into the ground cover. Be a responsible dog owner please. Also as of 8/20, there were some downed logs laying across some of the Upper Lena Lake trail so you may need to crawl and climb over wet/muddy areas if you go up further.

Horseshoe Lake County Park is located in Kitsap County with a large lake, barbecues, picnic tables,…read morevolleyball court (on sand), playground and walking trails. Swimming, canoeing, kayaking and fishing is all allowed at this large lake. And this county park is also dog friendly. My husband, our little girl dog and I stopped by this park on a Thursday afternoon, a little before 1 pm. The reason why we came here was because we were looking for a park with barbecue grills because we had just purchased some raw, fresh oysters and clams from Minterbrook Oyster Farm and wanted to cook some up for lunch. A local at a nearby convenience store suggested this park and so we headed on our way (be sure to purchase charcoal if you want to use the park grills). Parking is plentiful, plenty of parks to provide shade and lots of grass available for our little girl to mark her territory. With a handful of barbecue grills, we decided to pick one by the volleyball court. My husband set up the grill and did the cooking (that is what husbands are for) and my little girl and I explored this large park in the meantime. There are restrooms by the playground, but I did not use it. Also during our visit, a park employee told us that he had to close the restrooms (due to some kind of plumbing problem) and that porta-potties will be delivered later today. This is a great park to have a family get together, picnic, friend gathering (play volleyball or bring your kayaks and launch off of here), fly your drone here or toy planes and play with your dog(s) here. If I lived closer, I would be out here on a regular basis.

The lake is awesome and all but I will say the bathrooms are pretty nasty and it's hard to find…read morewhere to park so overall its pretty good

We were very happy to find this great little spot! Quaint little park with lots of shaded areas,…read moregarage cans, picnic tables. Dogs are welcome on leash. There is a little beach area where we watched people launch rafts and were swimming. There is parking close by with a charge of $5 for the day. Can't wait to go back!

This is a spectacular lake to paddle around. There is a good mix of fancy houses and wildlife to…read moresee as well as majestic views of Mt. Rainier.