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.

Put your walking shoes on because this was a great (and long) walk! The views are amazing.read more

Brought my family for a little outdoor time and we were impressed how well maintained the park is…read more The trails are great and easy that my toddler loved it. There's also a playground for kids to entertained themselves and plenty of room to run around. Definitely would love to come back again, but this time bring some lunch for us and enjoy views.

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!

An amazing State Park! There is everything available for a great gateway and all for a reasonable…read moreprice. Mother Nature is at her best in this park.

We recently visited for one night. We stayed in one of the few open spots, right near the front of…read morethe campground. The only sections open for winter were the small section we stayed in and the open field area. Unfortunately for us, the sections closed for the season were the prettiest...much more treed and private feeling there. We enjoyed one hike, the boardwalk-old growth-orchard sections and back to the campground. Apparently there is some damage to parts of the trail system here, but those we took were in good shape, just a bit muddy. Although we didn't get around to the lake, it looked gorgeous when we passed by driving in. Aside from the site across from ours after the teens left that morning, the grounds were all very clean. Pretty area and park...although I probably would only return if I could stay in the closed sections. :)

Gorgeous hidden gem. Not a long hike but definitely steep. Your quads will feel it. It's on a…read morehillside so you're going mostly up or mostly down depending on where you start, and it has a few turns you can take to mix it up. Kids and dogs will love it. Great workout and SO beautiful. Huge ferns and maple trees, moss, mushrooms, snails, etc. Thank you to the first reviewer (Chris) for your description, this is a perfect little workout, and easy access from west Olympia.

Local walking trails on the southwest portion of Tumwater Hill. Access from the north or "top" of…read moreTumwater Hill Elementary School or from Ridgeview Loop in between some of the homes; enter from the south or "bottom" of the hill from Vista Loop SW, just off Crosby Blvd, near 2 lone homes. Open all year long, it's a step into the wilderness amidst this suburban community. It's kid & dog friendly too. I've spied rabbits, deer, salamanders, mushrooms & toads along the trails at different parts of the year. Ferns, evergreens & big leaf Maple trees line the well defined walking trails.

We wanted to explore more of our city. I've never been to this park even though I grew up in the…read moreOly/Lacey area. This is a great 1-mile loop trail. Easy to walk/hike because there are no large hills to maneuver. A majority of the trail is shaded with trees so if you need a nice walk/hike on a warm day check-out this park. A few things to note: there is limited parking here, only about 4-5 cars can fit in the parking area (free parking), no dogs are allowed, and also the trail is not paved and I feel is not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers. Some of the trail is pretty narrow. My son is three and he was able to hike the trail with ease. There are better parks in the Oly/Lacey area (in my opinion), but nonetheless this is a nice park, especially on a warm day when you want to get outside and stay cool.

Great hidden park, actually pretty big but unassuming from the outside. Not much open space and no…read moreamenities, but you feel like you're in the middle of the woods and end up doing dome bushwhacking if you take some of the trails. Olympia's hidden gem!

Well this trail is cute. I had avoided going on the trail because usually I am in the area at night…read moreand there aren't any lights down on the trail at night so it's kind of spooky because you don't know what's lurking down below. I parked at the West Bay park and walked up and over to the trail. I did like that the trail has direct access to water. The land next to the water wasn't too muddy or loose where your shoes might get stuck either, so that was nice. As there is nothing preventing your from walking up to the stream, watch your kids to make sure they don't fall in. The trail is just wide enough for a stroller, but it's uneven in sections and has steps and bridges so be aware of that. I think the stream is feed by water that runs off the streets as there are large black plastic tubes running down the hillsides carrying street water to disperse into the stream. I guess that's why it's important to watch what you throw into the gutters and streams. Even though this trail is short there are no shortage of inclines, stairs, bridges, and declines. It's a lot of variety in a short stretch. Although the sign says no running there were several people running or with their dogs. At the end of the trail furthest away for West Bay there are steps that lead up to a bus station just in case you're trying to catch the bus. Overall, it's a cute & short trail which may be just enough to get your heart pumping.

This is a super short trail, less than a mile round trip, but a nice way to escape the heat of the…read moreday and enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. I parked for free at West Bay Park and crossed the main road at the pedestrian walkway to find the trailhead. There is a bench at both ends of the trail as well as one other at the halfway point. Signs at both ends clearly indicate the rules of the park including leashed dogs allowed; but no jogging is permitted. Seriously? I'm not sure why that last one is an issue. There were very few people, mostly women of all ages, that I saw on the trail, but perhaps the no jogging rule was implemented because the path is narrow and could be slippery when wet. I met two leashed dogs on trail with their responsible owners. The trail winds down from the road at both ends and follows a creek bed. There are bridges, retaining walls, wood planks, steps and dirt path that make it easy to follow this trail from start to finish. You will be surrounded by large trees throughout that provide a canopy blocking out the sun and heat of the day. At a few points, you can see water trickling through the brook below. I imagine that it is more powerful during and after a few days of rain. I could hear the stream and birds squawk. This easy trail basically offers a nice, short stroll through the woods to breakup the monotony of the day.

Was on a drive from Portland to Tacoma, and I need to stop and stretch my legs so I found this…read moreshort hike right off the freeway and it is wonderful for a nice break. You can hear the traffic on the five freeway, but you are in the woods And you are able to get off and take a short hike without getting too far from your trip. I'd recommend this stop to anyone that needs to get out and enjoy the woods. Trail is very well-maintained and I haven't seen a soul. Old growth forest, all surrounding me. And while you're here, go see the state capital of Olympia.

It's a short, paved trail that has bikers, pedestrians, and pups making their way around. Beautiful…read morescenery, especially when there's snow. If you squint you can see some of the homeless camps in the distance and sometimes you'll see a bag of abandoned clothes or a transient sitting near the entrance or a broke down car with a homeless couple sitting in it so it can be a little sketch and you don't want to go alone. In spite of that, the place is lovely.

Very cool to have a horse riding area available to all.. lots of land. Recommend watching the…read morehunting schedules. Cool place

Well I've been trying to try different parks in the area and decided to head to Scatter Creek…read more Sigh! The only wildlife that I saw readily accessible here were birds. There may have been some gophers or prairie dogs or something, but I didn't see anything. You will need a Discover Pass. The parking lot is just that a big unpaved dirt lot with huge pot holes so watch out if your car sits low. There are two trails reasonable in length that you can walk around within the recreation area. There are also some historical items within the fenced area. I will admit that I felt a bit uneasy at the fact that there are warning signs everywhere to let you know that you're in the "safe zone" or to wear "hunter orange" as it's a live bird hunting area between 8-430 M-F. So every couple of minutes you hear the shot guns go off. The bird hunting is by shot gun only and the hunting area is the larger portion of the recreation area. Just watch your kids and dogs and wear bright colors if you can.