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.

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

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

I didn't even knowthis park existed but they do free Shakespeare in the Park here with the Animal…read moreFire Theater. Am I shilling for them? Yes, because my friend is in this troupe and because of him I've seen Henry V and Midsumer Night's Dream. Doyou know how fun it is to watch Shakespeare as the dark slowly creeps, eating a subway sandwich, with your pups as they look longingly at the bunnies in the distance. You need to do this. Parking is easy and soemthing like 30 feet away from the meadow, there are big trees to give you shade in the heat where the plays are held, so you have no excuses.

Had my kiddo's birthday there. The kids had a blast blowing bubbles and just being kids. Clean…read morebathrooms, clean trails, all good.

What a nice little chill park! The beach is rocky and not sandy. Nice views. It's a good chill…read morespot.

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.

came here with Adam for veterans day because I have been saving this place for when the weather is…read morenice. did not get to bike here, so :(, but it was still a really good time with getting to know Adam. very serene with the calm waters. lots of ducks, especially nearing the state Capitol building side, and I think that there were two of them fighting. Straight up pecking at each other...and not the sweet, cute kind. Adam and I just watched like :( because why can they not click with one another? The fight was so deep for what? Anyway, there is a mini hike from here and up to state Capitol building, if you want some sort of challenge, but there is a paved sidewalk to go along if you just want to enjoy the nature and take cute pictures like Adam and I did. parking availa Le, but quite a bit of visitors, so had to park in a lot that was $1.10 an hour (it says $0.75 an hour on the sign, but not true). speaking of parking, the parking timer for that website where you pay actually started at 58 minutes, smh. would rank higher if parking more readily available and if they made it clear with signs about how the mini hiking trail goes.

Since there aren't really any public outdoor pools and the weather usually isn't cooperative to be…read moreconducive for a public pool, the Heritage Park Fountain is a perfect place to cool down for free. It's nestled between the roads that lead in and out of downtown Olympia. The fountain shoots water jets up from the pavement at different intervals so it keeps you guessing where the water will come from. I believe I've seen signage that they do treat the water so it's sanitary as well. It stops the water jets every couple of minutes to keep up with the filtration. One thing I love about this park is that there is a variety of people of all ages and backgrounds that come to play in the fountain or make use of the park benches. Young couples, hipsters, older married couples, families, all the single ladies, non-binary folks, and even people in business suits. It's not just a cool fountain that lights up at night, it's a place for people to commune and I think that's great since downtown Olympia often gives off that vibe. So, If you don't feel like going over to the plaza in front of the Children's museum to get wet during the summer, head over to the Heritage Park Fountain right across the street from Capitol Lake Park.

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!

Nice playground for kids my daughter and her friends love going there a lot. Have a big run around…read morein the back and trail to get them to walk and seek some leaves.

Awesome clean and safe park. Very large and has something for everyone. Not too many people around…read morewhich made for a nice time.

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