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!!

Last time I visited was in the summer when the water had really receded. It was lovely, but dry…read more This current visit was in the winter so the tide was high. We walked down to the beach and my niece had a fun time scooping up sea life from the sand and she found things like baby crab legs and shellfish so we got to talk about what was in the water. People were kinda standing around or taking pictures since Mt. Rainier is in the distance, since there's nowhere to sit to relax. There are lots of signs telling you to respect private property, so I imagine the residents get frustrated when people wander over the line, but that's what you get if your property is right next to a state park. The path over was nice, with netting on slippery spots and there are a couple of Pokemon Gyms and Pokestops so its a pretty good place to play. Just be mindful that they require you to carry your trash out of the park with you, so there's nowhere to leave your dog poop bags if your pup does his business. We obediently took our stuff with us, but I wonder how many people don't honor the request.

Belted Kingfisher, Heron, Belted Kingfisher, Belted Kingfisher, Belted Kingfisher! And so my…read morebirding went when I visited Tolmie State Park the morning of the 25th of June 2020. I arrived in the 9:00 a.m. hour and parked at the upper parking lot by the entrance to the park. There is a second parking lot further down the road once inside the park that is closer to the beach. By the upper parking lot there is a restroom building, covered picnic area, and abundant picnic tables with grills interspersed in the woods. There is also an area with benches facing the water in an amphitheater-esque seating style. In my exploring this area I found some cool plants including foxglove plants with cusped blossoms. A Goldfinch flitted across my path and made a getaway before I could get a picture of it. Fun to see the state bird in a state park! Making my way down the trail to the beach was quiet, and I was pleased to see that it was high tide when I arrived at the waterfront. Walking along the waterfront I notice what looked like a Kingfisher so I decided to approach and see if it was. Indeed it was! Slowly I waded out in the water along a muddy part and realized the mud was teeming with crabs. I was careful to watch where I stepped so as not to smoosh any of them. Once I reached the Kingfisher (a Belted Kingfisher specifically) it flew off across the spit of land I came across to get to it. I watched where it landed on a tree branch and then followed the Belted Kingfisher. The Belted Kingfisher was along the creek that flows to the Puget Sound at high tide, at low tide the creek dissipates. Another Belted Kingfisher arrived and they both started diving in the water for fish and other food. Turning my head left I noticed a Heron in the water and waded back out in the water to join it. After wading around with the Heron for a while I made my way back towards where the first Belted Kingfisher had perched to watch for food in the water. The tide was going out as I was wading with the Heron and making my way to the perch. The crabs were not happy about this. The ground glistened with movement, not sunlight, and there were 100s to 1000s of tiny crabs running to take shelter under the seaweed, in the mud, and yes trying to pinch my feet and legs. As I neared some crabs they would burrow backwards into the mud, put their pinchers up, and open them... I was careful not to step there. Eventually I made it back to the Belted Kingfisher perch and what did I find?! Not one, but two Belted Kingfishers watching the water!! So very cool. After admiring them for a little bit I started making my way back to my car. The beach and the parking lot by the beach were starting to get busy, so it was my time to go. A perfect morning adventure in the Puget Sound area.

An easy, enjoyable area to walk around the historic waterfalls. The scenery is lovely and the…read moreinformation was interesting.

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

So after my first review, Fengie O. came to the rescue regarding the disappointment I originally…read morefelt about Bigelow Park. Thanks to her kind instructions, I found that I had gone to the wrong park. I actually visited a small patch of land next to someone's house and thought that was the park. I was obviously off my meds that day. Anyway, this park is major cute and nice for the kids or if you wanted to grill out. The amount of space between the grill stations is sufficient enough to not make you feel like you're encroaching on someone else's territory. There is also a decent amount of kids equipment. It all looks pretty safe and there is even a single basketball net on the half court. The park is surrounded by huge trees that in a way hide the grounds and provide ample shade. There are also unisex restrooms on site and doogy doo bags for life's little messes. It's definitely a nice park now that I actually went to the right one. Thanks Fengie.

Guess who finally moved near Bigelow Park? That's right--I did! I can walk to the park from my…read morehouse. It's a decent sized park. The equipment is appropriate for children 12 months old to 11 years old. Some children who have limited mobility can enjoy the play structures. The wide stairs are set near the ground so children can transfer out of wheelchairs and climb into parts of each structure. My oldest kid will play football with her friends, but my 2 year old likes to hide in the tube connected to the small play structure and scream! In addition to the 2 play structures, there are also two spinning toys. One is shaped like a cup. Kids sit in it and spin around. The other is a pole with a platform. 2 children get on the platform and spin each other. There are swings for babies and for older children. The swings for the older children are set near the basketball court. The swings for the younger children are closer to the main play area. A tire swing is attached to the large play structure. The park is surrounded by a grassy area. It's fun to play soccer or football. Keep in mind the area is not fenced. One of the grassy sides of the park is right next to a moderately busy road. It's good to keep an eye on younger children. The parking area is a decent size. I've seen 6 minivans parked with room to spare. There are also at least 2 large handicap parking spaces. The bathrooms are a decent size. There is a drinking fountain, a covered area for picnicking and a few picnic tables. If all the picnic tables are taken, it's a lovely place to lay a blanket down and have a sit down picnic.

Clean, nice park, colorful, far off street so it's safe from street traffic. Definitely old…read moreequipment though, needs a paint job and upgrade. Nice shelter, volleyball courts, walking trails, bathrooms

Nice quite neighborhood park that has a trail. The playground is nice it is like a challenge…read morecourse. It also has swings everything is in good conditions. Very well maintain, tree coverage and very green. My kiddos loves it and enjoyed our time here

Beautiful place on a gorgeous day! I'm new to the area and am glad I found this place. I will…read moredefinitely be back!

Came out for the middle school concert at the Shelter. Beautiful backdrop with the sailboats…read morefloating past being the kids. They need more chairs, but I brought camping chairs, so I'm good. It's very clean and the restroom is surprisingly clean too.

Definitely a hidden gem to have but it's small and unfortunately there's a homeless camp living…read morebehind the park. We think it's an otherwise calming place but we don't always feel safe there.

I took my daughter to Yashiro Japanese Gardens expecting it to be a relaxing and inspiring…read moreexperience. I also wanted to experience our local Asian culture. I was very disappointed and a little embarrassed. The whole garden was in a state of neglect. There were leaves floating on the Koi Pond, which was the home of only two Koi. Furthermore there was algae growing in the pond which gave it the appearance of a swamp. The rest of the garden appeared neglected. There were no labels identifying the plants. Identifying plants is minimum expectation of a public garden. I would preferred a reference to their significance. At bare minimum the garden could have weeded and raked. I feel this garden was a disgrace to the city of Olympia and an insult to our Asian population

We only went once, but it won't be the last! The facility was clean, the bathrooms were clean, kids…read morewere having lots of fun. Literally no complaints. People were friendly, and it was a fun time! Took my two year old there, for context.

Update: 06/06/23 I have to knock off some points from this…read morereview. We went there over the weekend & was so disappointed how so much dog poops weren't picked up by their owners. It's just irresponsible to have a dog & have someone else clean after. This just seem a beginning of how a park gets trashed.

Absolutely beautiful area; a little bit of nature nestled into the city. Nice walking path and a…read morepark accessible through a paved trail. Lovely and very soothing.

This is an absolutely gorgeous and well maintained park. I love coming here with family and friends…read moreto go on walks. When it gets warmer in the year, it is wonderful for picnicking. I recommend coming here and enjoying a nice stroll whether rain or shine. My friends, family, co-workers, and I come here pretty often! I'm glad that it is cared for so much by the community and is always lively.

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.