The Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is incredible! The best $3 (cash deposit) I…read morehave ever spent! Over 3 hrs of birdwatching, deer sighting, eagle watching, heron mating dances, moss, frogs, snakes, and more. The brackish water and estuary allow for diverse life cycles across fresh to salty habitats. The boardwalk is well maintained, gravel moving into wooden slits. Incredible! Highly recommend. Big parking lot, fairly busy on a Monday in March.

Always a great solitude hike to clear my head and solve my problems. Frankly, I like to talk with…read moreGod out here. Somehow, I feel closer to him when surrounded by the beautiful Nisqually nature trails. Only $3 to gain access (honor system drop box), there are miles of gravel trails and boardwalks to enjoy. No biking, no jogging, and no pets allowed, but plenty of bird enthusiasts taking pics with long lens cameras. It's a quiet place to be in your thoughts. Occasionally, you see deer, rabbits, seals, coyote, lots of birds, and awesome eagles! Makes it so worth it? I highly recommend coming out here for a low effort hike, the quiet, and all things beautiful in nature!

I drive into this park on a whim last weekend and think I've found a gem hidden in Olympia,…read moreliterally minutes from downtown. Straddling Boston Harbor Road, the park has a bridge that connects both sides of the sprawling property. On the East side of the park, you immediately feel like you've driven into a forest. Big and old trees line the park roadway. Several picnic areas are available, I assume by reservation, at least for the covered areas. I found a restroom building and took advantage. This place is well maintained. More picnic areas. Nd two more restroom buildings are on the West side of the park, and so is the Sound. Lots more parking, and a kids playground. Squaxin has something for everyone. Lots of hiking paths on both sides of the park that are now on my to do list. Squaxin is an oasis in Olympia!

Squaxin Park is a wonderful place to spend the day at and there is plenty of things to do! I have…read morelived in this area for many years, have heard of and seen this park as we've been around town, but never actually visited. I can confidently say that after being there yesterday that my boys and I will be back! I decided on taking the kids there because I was looking for a new playground space. We had usually gone to other parks/playgrounds and we were all getting a wee bit tired of the same old, same old. I showed the pictures of the playground to the kids and they thought it looked fun too. We went there and were pleasantly surprised at what all else they had to do. The playground itself has a big toy that's shaped like a large ship, which they had fun playing on. However, it was the walking trails and beach access that they enjoyed the most. The trails are partly paved and partly unpaved (so do remember to wear your boots). They lead you through the woods, along and close to various benches and covered pavilions, and down the hills to the beach. The trail hills are not that steep, so it's doable and not extremely strenuous (my 6 year old made it around easily - and the 3 year old mostly was good ... just got tired near the end, after a couple of hours of walking and playing). The best part of the walk was getting down to the beach! It's a beautiful view and very easy to walk around. Hard-packed sand, shells, and flat made for a nice walk. Because of all the recent rain, it was a wee bit sloppy; but fun. My kids had a wonderful time walking/running around and watching the water, looking for shells, and just being kids! We felt very safe there and I never felt like I needed to be "on guard" like at some parks. Overall, the park is large enough to spend a couple of hours there, and yet small enough to not get lost of feel overwhelmed with the number and length of the trails. I asked the kids if they had fun and would want to come back again. They both immediately said yes to both questions. There you have it. We'll be back!!

We were at the lower park playground it was nice and clean…read moreWords words all ljgdssdgjlkgfds

This is an excellent park for locals and tourists alike. This is a privately owned park, it is not…read moreowned by the city. It is well kept and beautiful. During salmon season it is fun to watch the salmon make the long hard swim upstream to the hatchery. Great place for senior pics, wedding pics or family photos. The duck dash the first weekend of June is a lot of fun. Seeing thousands of plastic ducks make their way down the falls is so cool for kids and adults. Paths are easy for walking, we even wheeled my grandma in her wheelchair years ago. Mind you, up hill was a bit of a workout but she enjoyed the scenery. The falls are fun to see year around. Different landscapes for different seasons. It loses a star because the kids playground stinks. They need a serious update and refresher. Just a few chunks of cement shaped like a boat. Lock your cars and hide your valuables- occasional break ins by lowlife thieves.

I love this park! It's in a great spot, has great views and places to sit like benches and picnic…read moretables, and it is flat and accessible with great views of Budd Bay.

Usually this place is a quiet laid back place to visit with the dogs who love sniffing all the…read morepuppy activity in the area, but wow. Come in mid to late April when the cherry blossoms have bloomed and it looks magical. They don't have a lot of cherry blossom trees at the park, but they have benches under the few trees they do and it's so pretty to look at them and the petals that are sitting on the ground.

Great park with trails through second-growth woods, a tiny bit of elevation change, picnic…read moreshelters, a flower garden, a beach, and most importantly, toilets. Love going here with the family for a bit of fresh air and some rock hunting.

A beautiful park and a must see in the Olympia area. I've come here since childhood. Excellent…read moretrails and views of the Puget Sound.

I like early morning walks and exploring new areas. Capitol Lake was perfect spot to view the…read moregovernment buildings and do some site seeing. Lots of people and furry friends on the trail. Please come and create your own adventure.

Capitol Lake Park is such a beautiful park and I am kind of surprised that I didn't write a review…read morefor it before. Granted I have actually done the circle of the lake nestled in downtown just once by foot but I have driven past the lake many times and have always admired it's beauty and location. There are lots of signs and plaques to stop and read when doing the circle...and since you are right downtown if it suits you you can sneak off and grab a snack or drink since you are literally right downtown. You get good angles on your walk around the lake of the Capitol building which are worthy of some snapshots. *Update * I'd love to post the pictures that I took to go along with my review but unfortunately after lengthy scrolling on my Instagram account I was unable yo find them...sadly it looks like they got lost.

Lovely park around Capital Lake area! There is a circled path that takes you around the portion of…read morethe lake in which on the other side of the lake is Marathon Park. I parked here because there were spaces on my route that I could utilize right away. The dirt path that goes around is very scenic and Heritage Park definitely adds the pleasure of that. Heritage Park is also conveniently located next to downtown Olympia so if dining out or shopping is also on the agenda to exploring the Park you can definitely do that too! I've been wanting to come to this park for several years and I'm so glad I finally did! It is as alluring on foot as it was by passing by it in the car!

I discovered this park on accident on my way to another location. Wow, it's very beautiful in the…read moresummer! You can see the capital dome from one of the parking lots, and there's plenty of benches to enjoy the scenery. On a good day this might be an excellent place for a picnic. You can see fowl and other wildlife while walking around the lake. I can imagine spending a quiet afternoon here. Try to catch the warm breeze under the shade, while enjoying the clear blue skies.

I will give my review four stars to 'continually improve' If I were to give myself a five, that…read morewould be a little egocentric. I enjoy Yauger Park considering the community gardens, recreation availability and the wildlife that visit here. I am an avid bird watcher and can find photography chances at this park. Yauger Park gives one ample time to walk in the pathways, recycle glass, or give quiet time to those that seek it. I am glad I found this space

Yauger Yeah yes you ... Experience fresh air right here. Never be afraid to evaluate new…read moreinformation. Before you know it, your way is the only one...the way that build's character.