I love this park. Gorgeous trail, river access and clean bathrooms. Discovery pass required…read more Today's visit was an overcast gorgeous day. Loads of walking and exploring in nature. We also saw salmon. So cool!!! Worth the drive. Do it. Go forest bathing. Nature is the best.

There will never be a place I love more than this place. On the planet. But I come from the angle…read moreof having grown up here. My grandmother still lives within walking distance so when I say my childhood is in this water, it's no joke. I can still walk up the rock in the middle of my favorite swimming hole (at 43) like an easy set of steps and cannonball people with great enthusiasm. This park is a standalone experience. The Green River is ideal for fishing, kayaking, floating, swimming, and generally anything you'd like to do with a river except drinking. Don't do that, they pull a lot of bodies out of every year. I'd hazard a guess nearly all of those bodies made bad life choices with no respect for moving water. There is an excess of swimming holes along the stretch of river the park encompasses. This might lead you to think the fishing is also great. It is, but if it's swimming season, stick to early and late fishing because people will not respect your ill-timed line in the middle of the day. (This feud is as old as time). The camping in the park is limited although the implementation of yurts is adorable and fun, and they do accommodate RVs and tents as well. It's a great place to have an event, the availability of bathrooms and faucets has always been the standard I judge other parks by. Parking is limited, get there early or access it by taking the Long Walk. The rangers these days are young and friendly, and they deserve respect for the idiots they often have to put up with. I suggest getting the year pass for entry, you'll want to return. The park is exceptionally clean and well maintained, it hasn't changed much in the 40+ years I've known it because it's a solid setup. This is a beloved area. If you want to get drunk and stupid go upstream to the bridge or up the headworks road or downstream to Flaming Geyser area or Auburn. It's not a rowdy place, it's families doing family things. Whatever your swimming skill, there are beautiful places to put your body in the water either carefully and gently, with momentum aboard flotation apparatus, or from tall places. Respect the class IV rapids, they're easy to avoid. You can chase the sun around to all the different spots if you're apt to sunbathe, or avoid it entirely. The simple trail from one end to the other is a faerieland walk under beautiful canopy all year round. The water is pristine, the critters are adorable, and it attracts a nice style of people from many different places. Please respect it and enjoy, we're proud of this little jewel.

I've been to Lake Wilderness many times over the years for family get togethers, and a graduation…read moreparty brought me here again yesterday! The space here is huge and there's lots to see and do. There's an area with a playground for kids which is camp themed, and there's also different types of sport courts. The bathrooms are clean and well-maintained as well. There's also covered areas that you can rent which have basic grills that you can use for stuff like hotdogs and burgers. The water always seems pretty clean. I haven't swam in it but my siblings and kids have and it always seems fine. They also have boat rentals here which are really cool, and there's a few different types that you can rent. It's a little over $20 an hour but I think it's worth it for sure. It's a great lake and I'm sure we'll be back quite a few times this summer!

Decided to go Trout Fishing on Friday (5/16/25) afternoon around 2:00 PM. When we got to the Lake,…read morethere were 4 people at the fishing spot. We set up our gear and poles. It was kind of a gloomy day, so fish weren't biting as often. About 2 hours later, we had caught 3 Trouts each. Getting the next 2 took a while longer, as I caught mine an hour and a half later to get my limit of 5. Dunno what factors caused the fish not to bite that regularly, but it was definitely a very slow day/evening fishing on the shore. Caught a couple of big ones, though. Nice sized fish...

This trail is arbout 20 miles long and (surpirse!) follows along the Green River. Fairly wide,…read morepaved, and overall well maintained this is a great trail for biking, but works just fine if you're on foot as well. There are numerous parking areas along this tail and it connects up directly with the Interurban in Tukwila and Kent for those looking to keep going south. At dusk and dawn you can find a TON of bunnies and perhaps even a coyote. Most areas have good lighting, but I wouldn't recommend using this trail as it gets dark.

Unfortunate that I'll be moving soon and won't get the opportunity to run-walk through this…read morebeautiful trail any longer! This trail is very convenient from where I stay and it's quite clean given it's used by a lot of runners, cyclers, walkers etc. I have spent at least more than half of my weeks breaking a good sweat on this trail, even enjoying the river view and admiring nature and it's beauty on my walks! The folks that uses this trail all vary in age, it's definitely beautiful to see! You can walk all the way from the end of Tukwila to Auburn! Absolutely a great motivation. Hoping that they expand this trail! I will truly miss it!

Having headed up the effort to protect this important Great Blue Heron colony for many decades, I…read morewant everyone visiting Renton's Black River Riparian Forest have a safe experience. This is a magnificent, world-class sanctuary, but it requires local knowledge to navigate safely. 4/30/2026 The cottonwoods have leafed out, making visibility of the full 80-nest colony difficult. However, there is a clear gap in the center where binoculars offer a great view of 11 nests. These herons are a unique, non-migratory subspecies called the Pacific Heron (Ardea herodias fannini). Their population is small and at risk due to habitat loss, bald eagle predation, and human disturbance. What to Expect: Nestlings are currently small and quiet, but they grow quickly, reaching full size with 6-foot wingspan by July or August. The nestlings usually fledge in July (ideally) and sometimes August if they have suffered setbacks from predation (especially Bald Eagles). After fledging, they remain at Black River for about two weeks to hone their hunting and flying skills (landing is especially tricky with those massive new wings). While most disperse to other nearby shorelines, a few may overwinter here, especially if they fledge late in the season. Our Pacific herons do not migrate, instead, dispersing to nearby habitat. Their diets change from fish, frogs, and snakes in the summer, to small mammals such as voles in the winter, so where they disperse to will depend on the food sources. How to Find the Nests: Coordinates: 47°28'31.4"N 122°14'24.0"W From the Kidney Center, cross the short bridge over Springbrook Creek. STAY IN SINGLE FILE and hug the railing -- vehicles pass very close to the narrow sidewalk here. Immediately after the bridge, turn right onto the paved path. At the bottom of the short hill, the paved path veers right, but YOU WANT TO TURN LEFT ONTO THE UNPAVED TRAIL. The Arrival: Walk the equivalent of about one city block. The nests are directly across the pond. Listen for the nestlings' prehistoric-sounding "guk-guk-guk" calls. Safe Parking: Park at Northwest Kidney Center, 602 Oakesdale Ave. SW, Renton, WA 98057. This is the safest access point. This is a private lot but we have not had any issues parking here for a couple of hours. Areas to Avoid: Do NOT park in the small lot at the foot of Monster Road or walk through the upper meadow due to explicit adult meetups. Personal Safety: This is an isolated sanctuary. Women should NOT visit alone. It is strongly advised to stay in groups of 2 or 3. Maintain high situational awareness. Men from the meadow area often watch visitors, especially as the weather improves. If you are being watched and there are only a few of you, it's best to leave (we always do unless there are quite a few of us, and men are in our group). Trust your gut. There are no shortcuts. Stay on the main path to get back to Oakesdale. Bridge Safety: When crossing the bridge over Springbrook Creek, walk in single file and hug the railing. Vehicles pass very close to the narrow sidewalk. Accessibility: The final trail to the viewing area is NOT wheelchair accessible (uneven, unpaved dirt path). Gear: Heavy-duty mosquito repellent during warm weather and binoculars to see the herons are essential.

The Black Riparian Forest is a little get away from the city within a quick distance - perfect if…read moreyou work in the area. When you get down to it, this place really isn't that amazing. Generally it's not worth the drive...but it does have one thing: blackberries. When I asked the City they confirmed that the Black River Riparian Forest is a pesticide free zone and the blackberries are good to go! There are so many blackberries here, especially if you're willing to dress correctly and get in there, that you can get enough for a pie AND snacking while still not being a greedy pig -- there are soooooo many to go around! Lots of wild life in here because of the abundance of food and hiding places. Watch the ground closely - you'll find rabbits that are hoping that you don't see them!!

The Yelp entry here that says "Puyallup Trail" appears to be the bike and walking path that goes to…read morethe west of downtown. It goes along the Puyallup River and is pleasant but isn't quite as scenic as the trail that is called on Yelp the Riverwalk Trail which also goes along the Puyallup River near Sumner. To me and from the signage when on the trail it seems like one and the same to me but Yelp seems to have separate entries for the trail that goes east and the trail that goes west. The western side of the trail has a relatively smooth surface and during fishing season lots of fisherman come here to fish for salmon. The westerly direction of the trail does have lots of homeless people along it and most of the time they are harmless but a friend who is a fisherman and comes here to fish has had uncomfortable situations with them here on and around the trail so if you go by yourself through here it's good to be aware and cautious and maybe a good idea to have someone else tag a long with you if you are able to.

Pretty paved trail along Puyallup river. It's a good trail for distance running, walking and…read morebiking. I love the length because I can do my long runs here and get all my mileage in! I gave it only 3 stars because it's not always the "safest" trail..I always feel uneasy about leaving my car parked there because there are so many nooks and crannies for people To hide out and wait for you to go far down the trail so they can break in..the trail is a little trashy because kids and homeless people like to just litter. There are a couple spots along the river where there are tarps hanging off trees like a homeless person put up for shelter..so that makes me nervous when I'm alone with my daughter in the stroller..always carry something to protect yourself on this trail. I haven't heard of any crimes, but it just doesn't always feel safe. There are easy spots where someone could jump you from out of bushes etc. sometimes you might get a couple "off" characters walking on this trail so just watch and be vigilant.

This park is clean and peaceful, I've come here 3x now and loved it. I paddleboard here and it's…read moregreat especially since there are no houses and boats. There's a playground off to the side, bbq grills and several benches.

One of absolute favorite parks to visit. I come here just to get away and relax and get lost in my…read moreown thoughts whenever I need a break. I brought my boyfriend with me the other day and he loved it too. The bathrooms are clean, stocked and overall well maintained which is a huge plus for me because park bathrooms are usually pretty icky The trail is an easy peasy, 99% flat 1.4 miles with a few off trails leading to water access. This place is gorgeous on bright days but also on gloomy, rainy WA days. The girl at the booth who sold me a Discover Pass on July 4, 2016 was very friendly. She's the only park worker I've ever interacted with in the dozens of times I've been here. If you're in the area and looking for an easy and beautiful stroll, definitely stop in here.

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.

The Cedar River Trail follows the Cedar River from where it enters Lake Washington in the Renton,…read moreupriver of Landsburg at the boundary of the City of Seattle's Cedar River Watershed. The total length of the trail is 17.4 miles, of which 12.3 miles are paved; the rest are "soft surface" according to kingcounty.gov. It's open to non-motorized use only. Within Renton city limits, equestrians are allowed! This trail follows a historic railroad route between the river and State Route 169, and passes through Renton, Maplewood, Cedar Mountain, Maple Valley, and Rock Creek. We were at Cedar River Park to view the traditional salmon trap call a weir in the Cedar River. It is active sockeye spawning season now and very worth a visit. (See photo) Then we crossed the bridge and continued on the Cedar River Trail for a portion, passing by their Dog Park. Some parts of the trail are quite dull, while other parts are directly parallel to the river and very scenic. On a bike, I'm sure it's a very nice ride with the varying views. On foot, it's a bit more boring. This is more of a 3.5 Stars review (I was on foot), but rounding up because a bicyclist I spoke with said it's a very nice ride on this trail.

This is one of the many start/stop points for the ~17 mile long trail that goes along the Cedar…read moreriver that goes from Lake Washington all the way down to the watershed. Some portions are paved and very accessible while other areas are unpaved. I haven't been on the trail in it's entirety, but the areas I have been to are maintained nicely. Due to the length of the trail and the fact that it connects to other trail systems, there's a lot of bikes on this trail and it seems to be the preferred mode of transport. Like many (if not all) of the trails in Washington, there's a variety of animals and scenery to enjoy and take in while you get some exercise in. There are also a few places along the way that have a variety of parks and rest stop areas. There can be a lot of open space depending on how far you're going -- wear sunscreen!