Beautiful large natural lake fed by underground springs. Small nonmotorized boats allowed under 3hp. This lake arguably provides the largest & nicest ADA pier for fishing in the greater PDX area. Plenty of shoreline for bank fishing or launching a SUP. Peaceful ADA trail loop and picnic areas throughout. Gold level 18 hole disc golf course is very popular here. Dogs and other pets are not allowed to protect sensitive wildlife areas. $5 parking pass for the day. read more

Blue Lake Regional Park - Dockside ;) - Parks Near Me - Fairview, Oregon

It is a wonderful place with a wonderful view of Mt Hood! I really want to give this park 5 stars but that would be misleading and neglecting dog owners, legal lake swimming and outdoor PingPong enthusiasts. I read that the homeowners took over the ownership and full maintenance of the SolarBee water circulation units that minimizes the issues of a stagnant body of water. Those machines have increased the bird and fish populations! The bike paths thru the park are fun and educational as well as an actual wildlife tour! Beavers, Nutria, jackrabbits, Bald Eagles, Ospreys, turkey vultures, coyotes, raccoons, egrets, blue herons, river otters, bass, trout, blue gill, crappies, huge carp, Canadian geese, many kinds of seasonal ducks and I can't name them all but there is more! Yep, it is a real piece of nature that is being preserved and shared with activities like water spray park, basketball, volleyball, frisbee, softball, and a full on certified world class disc golf course ... that's pretty impressive. Oh yeah, all kinds of room for picnics and by yourself or large groups. It's a good size park. It's fun to do whatever you feel like if you need some sporting equipment, some is supplied at the main office. read more

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We go to Blue Lake 3-4 times a summer to paddle board. It's small but close and works for a day on the water. If you're looking for some peace and exercise this place works once you get away from the swim area. read more

I've been here several times for large group picnics, feeding the ducks, and an archery class. Definitely recommend renting a shelter during hot months (July/Aug) because most areas don't have shade. Summer/Fall 2022 came here twice to fish. Caught nothing either time, even though both times the lake had been fully stocked 1-2 weeks prior. Other people were fishing and also caught nothing. We did enjoy watching the ducks, geese and blue herons. read more

I brought my dog thinking it's a normal "lake" Then I see the NO PETS sign. No thanks. So inconvenient read more

I love all the ducks here. Very kid friendly, and clean. The blue lake car show is also amazing.

Large park, before covid it was the place to be but it has been sitting idle for 2 years and it's really starting to show.. hope they get the park back open and return it to its glory soon. The kids really missed the splash pad this summer. read more

Blue Lake Regional Park - Beeutiful - Parks Near Me - Fairview, Oregon

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Such a great summertime park, I will make this short and sweet. PRO: Lots of parking Boat rentals for fun Lake swim though small Splash pad is one of the best around, if not the. Clean bathrooms BBQs Covered eating areas Fishing for kids Many playgrounds Nature walks No pets pro or con CONS 5 bucks a car to get in No shade covered parking really cars get hot Crowed on peak times Lots of crazy little kids, like mine.. so beware. No pets pro or con It's an amazing place for the family, come and dig it. read more

Blue Lake Regional Park - Parks Near Me - Fairview, Oregon

Good place for kids to play in the splash water. Careful of all the geese poop around the area. read more

Blue Lake Regional Park - Finally the splash pad is open. Lots of geese poop around the grass area - Parks Near Me - Fairview, Oregon

We went there with our family in April and May and had amazing time watching the blooming trees and walking near water. Beautiful, well maintained park with nice spots for Grilling and picnic read more

Came here on an Off Day. No Fees. Its normally... $5.00 a Car or $8.00 a Bus I've never been here before and I can't wait for summer. This big park has a great little lake. I've heard it's good fishing. I'll find out this summer. Plenty of picnic areas, covered and uncovered. Some great playground spots as well as a water pad for the little ones. The beach access is sandy. No rocks to stub your toes on. But not really a beach for chilin on. Kinda small but big enough to run in and out of the lake. There are some changing rooms and showers but that was gated off for repairs. We'll be back with family in warmer weather for some fun in the sun and BBQ. read more

Since many of our restaurants are shuttered save for delivery or pick-up and not dining in, and I'm cooking at home now and following guidelines to avoid the COVID-29 virus, I've been at a loss about what to write about for reviews. So I'm revisiting from memory and Google places that I've been that are still in business. Thanks for indulging me. My folks belonged to some organizations that held their summer picnics here, and I have organized workplace picnics here as well. Blue Lake Park is well able to handle any size event with plenty of parking. There is a parking fee of about $5 per car. If you made reservations early enough, you will have a letter in hand stating which picnic space is yours. You will need to provide signage. Be forewarned dogs are not allowed. I had some near mutiny over this issue at one picnic I organized. Portlanders love dogs and hate to be without them. I'm generally not confrontational and this was the most difficult issue I had to deal with with my potential attendees. Some flatly refused to come at all even though we provided a catered barbecue lunch. But there is so much to recommend this park that's so close to the Columbia River on the Oregon side on 101 acres. There is the lake for swimming and ponds for boating and fishing. There are playgrounds and softball fields and equipment to play Frisbee golf. There is also a large splash pad for the youngsters. Also, there are plenty of restrooms. The park is ADA accessible. Picnics are a lot more fun to just attend than organize. But no matter how you get there, Blue Lake Park can meet all of your picnicking needs read more

Nice park, lots of mosquitos and goose poop to contend with. We had a fun time there. The 5$ parking fee seemed worth it since there was ample parking and the park is well maintained. I saw workers cleaning up on and off throughout our time there. Disappointed that there was no paddle boating. I'm hoping that comes back! Also, the splash pad was out of order. Not a big deal on a cooler day but hoping that returns for the heat of the summer. read more

You can not paddleboard or otherwise have any sort of boat on the lake from May on. What's the point? And it closes at 8 in the spring and summer, lame. I won't ever go back. read more

Blue Lake is a very large park which includes a splash pad, bathrooms, a beach, play structures, and a disc golf course. We were lucky enough to get the whole of Blue Lake Park all to ourselves on a chilly December day. The beach and splash zone were (of course) closed, but the fields, natural garden, disc golf, and play structures were open for use. We took our dog with us and enjoyed a nice walk with him around the park. Overall, this park is a great place to spend your day at anytime of year! read more

Not thrilled. Parking is $5. We were kicked out of a completely empty covered area because it was Reserved. There was no clear signage indicating it as such. Furthermore, the park employee who kicked us out noted those who had reserved the spot had left for the day. We had to schlep our supplies 1/6 of a mile away from a perfectly empty spot. Won't be returning. read more

Blue Lake Regional Park - Parks Near Me - Fairview, Oregon

take I-84, exit #14 - go left and follow the signs. this park is pretty sweet - i don't know why it hasn't gotten more reviews. it's a big park right next to a lake. lots of areas to play in and lots of shade if needed. you can go bbq here (grills are available), walk, or even rent a paddle boat. there's usually a lot of big sized groups enjoying a family day out. the things i don't like: the rules - posted everywhere... no swimming except in the designated area (mostly for kids), no booze! ......- and also $5 parking/car. read more

Blue Lake Regional Park - Parks Near Me - Fairview, Oregon

Dog free, and I love doglessness! Staff works nonstop to beautify the park, even hedging in 100+ temps. Also owns my other favorite place, Oxbow Park. Annual pass is worth its weight in platinum. read more

Blue Lake Regional Park - Parks Near Me - Fairview, Oregon

Normally, I avoid well-trodden family-friendly areas as if I owe them money. Especially on weekends, and especially on days where every temperature thermometer says "Really Stupid Hot" in bold red letters. But I had a work picnic and there was catering from Revelry. I try to pick my battles wisely, so the spoils of this internal struggle found JB and me melting in the car en route to GreshDaleView and chanting, "Ribs ribs ribs." After an intensely poor-planned entrance wait - they decided to open a second toll booth when we were one car away from pulling into the park - we peeled ourselves off the car seats and found absolutely zero ribs at our picnic site. So we took off on a walk to survey the grounds and compare the growling of our stomachs. What we saw actually held a lot of potential. In addition to the lake (which, according to one online review, has pretty nasty water), there were a handful of playgrounds, a nifty little fountain-style play area, horse shoe rental, paddleboards, and miles of flat, green space to frolic in an outdoorsy and wholesome manner. The drawbacks include the $4 parking fee, the icky bathroom, and of course, people. Loads of 'em. Some of them understandably dressed in little to nothing but nevertheless making me blush like a Mormon at a sex shop. Really, I'm a crotchety old lady underneath it all. There's a reason why I generally steer away from these sorts of places. But once the picnic vittles arrived, I began to understand how the other half lives. Even undercover old ladies can't say no to the persuasive powers of ribs. read more

Incredibly deceptive information site. Came here for the first time on a very hot day and wanted a spot to relax, have some hard cider, and swim in some nice cool water. When we arrived we quickly realized that this was not a spot for adults but rather a spot for people to bring their hyperactive children to cool off in a small roped off section of manmade beach. Seriously!? It says on the site "swim in the lake" under things to do, but what it really should say is "wade around waist deep in the murky muddy waters kicked up by a hundred crazed children because we won't allow you to swim further than 15 feet from the beach." The roped off "swimming" area is a joke. it's about the size of a hotel swimming pool. It's not like there are speed boats whizzing past or people on jet skis. It's a quiet fishing lake. Also, no alcohol. Way to be a bunch of puritanical pricks. I understand not wanting a bunch of drunks ruining your precious "swimming area" but c'mon! Why prohibit responsible adults from having a nice cold cider on a hot summer day? You'd think that maybe with all the security around making sure no one swims outside the restricted zone, you'd be able to handle anyone that has one too many. Overall...not a place for adults looking for a nice calm place to cool off. Not even a really great place for families either. Overpriced concessions and disgusting restrooms. Fail. read more

Guess what folks, you are not the only one who wants to go to a pretty park and enjoy the nice weather. Yes there is a line to get in, yes there are a lot of people, but its a HUGE park. I went on Saturday with about 16 friends. We had our coolers, our camp chairs and a few small folding tables. A spot under one of the many huge trees was found and a wonderful day was had. At one point the bathrooms got a little icky but when this was pointed out to a staff member they had people there to clean and restock it within ten minutes. So rather than bitch about crowds and lack of tables. show up early and bring your own and have fun! read more

Overall, this was disappointing. The swim area is very small. The rules say that children under 5 are not allowed, but this was not enforced. The area is too small and shallow for swimming and not much fun for anyone over 5. The next day, we went to Vancouver lake, which was much more fun and did not charge for parking. read more

I'm not sure why anyone would pay $6 to have access to a tiny little bacteria-infested swim beach totally choked with small children when you can drive 200 yards and spend the day on the river for free. I guess $6 is cheap for a babysitter/pseudo lifeguard (aka park staff monitoring the swim beach with a bullhorn). If you're coming here to swim, skip it. I tried to come here to practice open water swimming for a triathlon but swimming beyond the rope of the swim beach is not allowed and it would be impossible to even do laps within the swim beach area. I asked a park staff person who told me that only lakefront homeowners have "swimming rights". Huh?? Never heard of such a thing. Apparently, even the paddle boaters are not allowed to swim. Don't fall in! I got a refund, luckily. The "spray park" looked cool for little kids (under 5 are not allowed in the water in an attempt to keep bacteria levels down. Yuck!). This place is definitely family friendly and has lots of picnic spots...the water is pretty to look at, too bad you can't go in. Although you probably don't want to risk getting an infection from the water. There are plenty of other parks you can picnic in for free in Portland - maybe Fairview is limited but it's still not worth it IMO. read more

We used to frequently visit Blue Lake, but since Covid, they closed the beach down. Why?? George State Beach was always open in Lake Oswego. Why did they have to close Blue Lake down? It was such a beautiful park but I can see they have let weeds overgrow and they roped off playgrounds and other structures. Sad. read more

Do you want to actually sit at a bench? Good luck! We were thinking about local parks where a small family gathering of about 10 people could get together and have a potluck picnic. Blue Lake came to mind. We remembered the multiple picnic tables located in sun and shade, in the expanse of green grass with a lake for a backdrop. Sounds good, right? Drive 3 vehicles out, pay the 15 bucks to park them all, haul out the coolers, and what do we see? Dozens upon dozens of nice empty quiet picnic tables all throughout the park that look perfect for what we had in mind. Oh wait, whats that sign? Reserved. Hmm, no name no party, just reserved. Over and over again. Reserved for people who wish to reserve it seems. We were there for 5 more hours, eating on the ground, and nobody ever came to the reserved tables. When I asked the attendant if I could reserve a table to eat at, he said he would not be able to do so. I could only look for a non-reserved table further down the lake. Further down the lake, I found was packed wall to wall with crazy unattended kids, booming fiesta music, screaming adults, and yep, no open tables. Thanks Metro for making the park inaccessible to all but the most boisterous and rude of crowds. Not worth the drive or the $5. read more

This is our favorite park when my grandson comes to spend time with Grandma. We originally went so he could play at water park, then he learned how to shoot a basket and ride a bike there. Now it's frisbee golf and geo cache. I buy a $40 park pass from metro in the spring that's good at all metro parks and have no problem getting our money's worth. ( I usually drive around waiting lines with pass) We feel so lucky to have a great park so close to home, yes it can be overwhelming when the large groups are utilizing the bbq areas and bathrooms, but understand the size of this park and generous cooking areas affords large families and groups the opportunity. No complaints here! read more

I get the dog free policy. But not letting my own dog sit in my own car while I enjoy the park is too much. What's wrong with having a fenced dog walking area and not letting dogs on the loose in such a huge park?? Wouldn't that be much more appropriate? Plus having a ranger come at me and answer that it is his Park when I said the dog was in my car was also not helpful. I guess he forgot it's not his Park, it's ours, as it's my tax payers money that pays for it. Not coming back. read more

The splash pad is a blast with the little one. We also like the fishing . But bring small hooks:) occasionally a bull catfish will hit a worm on the bottom. But other than that, its a good nature park (skunks included) . $5 parking and security guards keep the park reasonably safe. read more

This used to be our favorite park but now we can't walk 1 foot without stepping in goose poo all over the pavement and grass areas don't waste your time read more

If you are looking for a great place to take the kids on a hot day this is your place! Also, this looks ideal for a big family reunion or company Picnic. The lake is actually quite warm, but children under 5 aren't allowed to swim. There is, however, a water sprinkler park pad that kids can run around in, squirt each other with stationary water guns, or get buckets of icy water dropped on their heads. I have taken my husband, 15 month old, 6 year old and even a 12 year old and they all had a blast! There is tons to do like paddle boats, baseball, volley ball sand pits, tons of covered areas, horse shoes, and biking trails. We tend to spend our time by the lake, but there are many areas of the park we haven't even explored yet. read more

Blue Lake Regional Park - This is the no standing water, sprinkler/water park pad they have in place. It's great for the younger kids who can't swim. - Parks Near Me - Fairview, Oregon

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for this park. I went for the first time today for a company picnic. We had a lot of people and children and reserved a large space of covered tables and had bouncy houses and lots of food. It was a great party and a bec area for the party. ...but this review is for the park, not the party. I was a bit annoyed that there is a $5 fee per car, but there was plenty of parking and I saw a lot of staff members within the park walking around an working, so that made me feel better about the fee. At least you could see where it was going. Again, the space we rented was great for our party. Some of us walked around the park to find the swimming area. This is where my experience took a turn. There was a LOT of animal excrement in the grass. So much I wouldn't want my child to play in most of the areas. I'm not new to this area, so maybe there's more wild life here than where I've been to similar parks before, but it seemed excessive. And yes, the swimming area was crowded. With the number of birthday parties we saw on the walk toward the swimming area, I wasn't surprised that it was crowded. What surprised me was how small the swimming area was. I'm sure there are less busy times than Sunday mid afternoon to get some peaceful water time. I don't have kids, but the spray pad looked awesome! Also, the GPS failed at telling me when to turn off, but it all worked out, just be aware if you go. I would definitely pick what time I go if I go again to be a less peak time of day. Otherwise it's a really awesome park on a lake! read more

My first time visiting Blue Lake Park - came here for a salsa dancing fundraiser. Beautiful park that seems to be well kept. Nice BBQ areas. Friendly workers at the pay station. Costs $5 to enter and there is plenty of parking. I had no idea this park existed, so I'm happy to have had the chance to check it out! read more

Blue Lake Regional Park - One of the covered picnic areas! - Parks Near Me - Fairview, Oregon

I wasn't aware Parks were rated on Yelp. How very useful! I've visited Blue Lake Park multiple times. There's bike paths, great facilities, (which I've used many times with groups), and I've always found the actual park clean and well manicured. However.... the swimming area has been closed multiple times due to water quality. Many parents allow their toddlers to play in the water with soiled diapers. Although the park has made great strides to better patrol the area, parents still find ways to sneak their poop wielding wee folk in the water on hot days. I've also noted some rather shady characters sitting in cars for extended periods, (police often patrol the park). read more

We used to frequent blue lake park a few years back, when my kids were younger and liked the spray park. We haven't gone for 2-3 years now though, because my older two find the spray park to be boring and my youngest can't go in the lake being under 5. It's a pretty park. It's large. Lots of playgrounds, covered areas, boats to rent, bike paths. The cost of 5$ to get in is spendy, and it is always soooo crowded around the water areas. read more

''My first time here was in 1958 at 12 years of age for a labor day picnic with my fathers friends and co-workers!'' And have been back for times for labor day picnics with the people I also now worked with! And a couple of family picnics and swim times! So this park has memories for me? How about 5 stars? *****! ''Thank you'' read more

We came here with a friend last week and our kids played on the splash pad. The bathrooms were gross, but it was a hot and busy day. Today we went with other friend with older kids who were not so interested in the splash pad, but wanted to swim in the lake. CRAZY crowded. The grass area around the swim area is full of dog poop, it was disgusting. I saw the signs saying no under 5's could swim in the lake but my son wanted to play in the sand. The sand away from the water was 100 degrees and burned his feet, so we went at the water's edge. He had a swim diaper on just like we do at the municipal pools, so I was not worried about any sort of leakage. No swimming, but going a few inches into the water to fill a bucket shouldn't be a crime. Many other families had their small children, including babies in arms in the water. After being there for about 2 hours and watching people with their dogs in the water, including a chihuahua who look a massive dump in the water whose owner did NOT clean it up, a staff member came by and told us our kid could not be in this area and that if they wanted to play with the sand it had to be behind the fence. You know, where the 100 degree burning skin and feet sand was. We left at that point. Swimming area is small and crowded. Splash pad is fun for littles but not big kids. Otherwise park seems pretty nice overall. It's really sad that you cannot access the water at any place other than the seriously overcrowded swim area. read more

Very disappointed. Paid $5 only to find out kids 5 and under are not allowed in the lake. So we were stuck with our 19 month old having to play in an over crowed, over glorified splash pad where she did not even want to play for fear she would be knocked over. Also pets are not allowed. Unless you have no pets and kids over 5... this place may not be right for you. read more

Overall it's a nice park. There is a good amount of parking, giant lake in the park, a splash pad, disc golf and more. It gets crowded in the summer months, lots of birthday parties, company picnics and events going on and more. It's in a good location close to the city and for the most part is always clean when I've come here. The surrounding area is pretty nice. I never have seen any homeless people hanging out in the park or anyone doing anything inappropriate. read more

Seriously disappointed!! I agree with other reviewers that this is NOT a park but a well policed picnic area! This is a 101 acre area that does not allow dogs AT ALL. Their website states that dogs 'can damage sensitive habitat'. The only 'sensitive habitat' they could be talking about is the exorbitant amount of landscaping done in this place. Instead of allowing it to be natural AT ALL, this whole place is trimmed and manicured. They section off areas to grow more perfect grass! This place is more worried about looks than actually providing a park environment for the community. I won't ever be back. Especially considering half my family isn't even allowed. read more

... probably a better experience if you show up at a cooler time of year in a bee keepers uniform...