Visited this lake for the first time in the 9 years that I have lived in Lacey. Very clean and well…read moretaken care of. People out fishing were friendly including some friendly pets out and about walking the trails. Gorgeous lake.

Come here almost everyday with my little brother during break. Great place for kids during the…read moresummer and lots of fun with floats, sand, and lots of new friends!! Very beautiful trails that lead to different sand areas, waste cans, and friendly environment towards pets and people :)

This was my first time swimming in a lake. And I think the lake life is the life for me!…read more Weather was a perfect 87 degrees and little humid so jumping in the water was so refreshing and much needed. So much fun jumping in from the decks. I was shocked at how deep the lake was -- 15 feet near the dock and 25 feet towards the buoy. Many lifeguards and use of life jackets for the kids. So they could enjoy the deep end, as well. I wish we came to this lake every day of this trip :) instead of my last day :( We brought some pizza to eat for lunch and was here for hours. I had the best time!

This park is nice to go fishing or take your dogs for a walk on/off leash or watch your kids play…read moreor have a big family reunion under one of the many pavilions. The bathrooms are clean and the walking trail is nice. Grass can be a little muddy sometimes though. You can also watch the ducks swim or sometimes catch a view of a couple getting married at the Community Center. As I am a stickler for parking, if the park is busy, as it has been since it's summer and Washington has been getting it's 10 sunny days out of 365, people are out and about and grillin' n chillin'. So, the parking lot lately has been full, so you have to park in the grass directly behind the regular parking spaces. As mentioned, the grass can be muddy so if your car has a tendency to get stuck, you may not want to chance the grass. Overall, it's a great place to bring a lawn chair or a blanket and just relax.

Lovely park. Huge grassy area, great playground. Lots of wasps trying to share our food, though.read more

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. :)

I moved up from SoCal where I have access to beaches and pools and easy access to the airport so I…read morecan be somewhere tropical in the winters when I want. Moving to Olympia, I was near none of that. So how cool was it to discover we lived almost around the corner from a nice park that has access to a lake where you can rent kayaks and duck boats or swim in the lake. Yes, after a couple months of summer, the water is a little gross from all the lie bottom being stirred up and mixing with the sunscreen and people soup, but if you want to get a cool dip on a hot day, it's nice (just don't dip your head into the water). Lots of picnic tables, but they do run out on weekends, so when we want to go we bring our own tables and can park it underneath the forest shade). On the first lake side parking lot when you come in, you're close to a place that serves beer and pizza. Halfway down in the next parking lot, you're near the place that sells nachos and ice cream. The parking is limited to the point that on the busiest summer days, they have to refuse entry and tell you to come back in the afternoon. For all the problems, it's a good park and one of our favorite places to hang out with our dogs.

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.

Sequalitchew Creek is a pet friendly and an ideal easy stroll for families. It is a total of 3…read moremiles round trip. Half a mile of it is paved and the remaining mile is rock path. Decline going there and incline on the reverse. You'll see beautiful views of the puget sound at the end. Most of the trail is surrounded by trees. If you decide to go there to watch the sunset, you'll have to use your cell phone flashlight. There is no lighting on the path. Respect the aina (land, earth, environment) and take your trash back with you since there are no trash cans.

Beautiful hiking trail that is only 3 miles in total - out and back with great views of the Puget…read moreSound. Plenty of free parking available and restrooms on site. I would recommend if you are looking for an easy hike. My kids and I enjoyed this trail a lot plus it wasn't crowded at all on a weekday!

This lake is not that good anymore. Some lake association…read morehas just decided to treat the lake for the algae bloom and the strange weeds that grow into the lake even though they've been doing the same thing with long lake for the last 10 years and there's no improvement whether they do the work or not, they are still going to charge the people that live by the lake. A lot of the people who live on lake seem to just blast fireworks and let the debris fall into the lake itself. In my opinion they are not the smart ones.

Ok, I love this lake, but it is not for most people. There is NO public beach, so be aware of that…read more There is a boat landing, but it is SUPER slippery and slimy and there are lots of dead fish heads and rusty fishing hooks around. Not a good place for kids at all. If you have a boat, and can go on the lake, or a friend who lives on the lake, it is such a lovely spot, especially because of the five mile an hour limit on the lake. No speedboats, no jet skis, nothing fast allowed at all! I have heard there is a lot of milkweed here, which can make it a bit tricky for fishing. There are, however, lots of eagles and hawks, and other seasonal birds here. There are also lots of water lilies, and it is a nice place to paddle around on, if you are careful getting in and out.

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.

Such a great little hidden gem. They offer a military/veteran discount which is so nice. It's very…read morefamily friendly. Dog friendly on leash (Check in breed type). Great lighting and clean restrooms & showers. Little creek running in the park and nice common areas for kids to play. Super reasonable. It's rustic and quaint.

It's 12:50am and there are multiple groups of campers who are having loud conversations. The staff…read morecame at 10:15pm to ask one of the groups to turn down their blaring music and the campers started arguing with the management. I feel bad writing a review for the business as it's not their fault their patrons are terrible. Be warned whoever visits this campground about who you are camping next to. I'm a seasoned camper at a variety of different sites and this is the worst experience I've ever had.