Steel Lake, connected to Steel Lake Park in Federal Way, Washington, is one of the most popular and…read moreaccessible lakes in the area. It's a wonderful community destination because it's easy to reach, and both the park and lake are generally kept clean, attractive, and well maintained. Like many popular recreation areas, the lake can become quite busy on warm days and weekends, and occasionally some litter is left behind. What I appreciate is that by the next morning the area is often cleaned up again thanks to the hard work of park staff and community members who help keep the park looking its best. One of my favorite things about Steel Lake is that it is stocked with trout once or twice each year, providing great fishing opportunities throughout much of the season. Visitors come here to fish, swim, kayak, paddleboard, and enjoy boating, with only battery-powered motors permitted on the lake. Overall, Steel Lake is a fantastic local resource that offers something for everyone and remains one of the best places in the area to spend a relaxing day outdoors.

So much to do and so much fun activities for the kids!!…read more They fixed the playground so there were additional games the kids can do. The best part is you can visit their website and you can check if the water is okay for the kids to play with . There's usually an update regarding if you can swim and such. The only thing I'm worried about is when there is no one there to facilitate the other kids swimming, because I noticed there were lots of kids who goes there without their parents or guardians. The cops do come around for their rounds sometimes, but not all the time . I always have my eyes on my kids because there were sooooooo many people and soo many kids during school break holidays and I can't even imagine summer break. If you want to entertain your kids for hours bring them here and just have a picnic and enjoy the sand with the kids. Don't forget the shovel and bucket though lol.

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.

There's no flaming geyser are here anymore. It's a beautiful park though. Beautiful green grasses…read moreand you can hike to the river.

Flaming Geyser is a great, well-maintained state park in the Auburn area. The "flaming geyser"…read moreburns a bit like a candle, what I feel like is the main draw to this park would be its great walking/hiking trails never to the river or in the forested areas. Great areas for picnicking too.

Redondo is a great place to walk!! It's right on the water so you have a lot of opportunities to…read moresee our sea life friends along the way. The broad walk was replaced several years back and is holding up quite well, though a lot of dog owners really suck and don't clean up so watch your step! If you have a dog and forgot your poo bag they are provided (please use them!!) There's a cheap pay lot right across the street (card payments only) as well as some free street parking. The best time to come is on Saturday when the MaST aquarium is open!

Great place for a good 2 mile walk, fresh salty air and a lot of ducks and seagulls. Pet friendly…read moreand smoke free!

The Panther Lake Trail is a welcoming green area in the heart of Federal Way and is adjacent to the…read moremuch longer BPA trail. The trail along the lake itself is fairly short and without much in the way of elevation change, so it's a fairly easy walk for someone who's simply taking the dog out for a bit, or someone who just needs a few minutes to be surrounded by some green. The access to the lake itself (it's more of a large pond than a lake) is also limited and minimal. The lake is visible from much of the trail, but don't go there if lake activities are the main draw. It's not that type of place. It is however, a good place for birds and they've some marvelous trees as well. In addition, if you want to add a little more distance to your walk, it's a great place to access the BPA trail, and also to add a nice loop section to your trail hike. On the negative side is its adjacency to the always busy Campus Drive, which can be noisy at the best of times--a penalty paid for the easy access and convenient parking. I could hear the traffic and nothing else for the first few minutes of the walk. However, the traffic noise does go away as you move into the woods towards the back of the lake.

After getting singed by a desk worker at King County Aquatic Center for not being able to make up…read moremy mind if I wanted to lap swim or not, I decided to give this place a try. It had piqued my interest when I passed it on the way in to the Aquatic Center, I came from Southbound I-5. So, after leaving the Aquatic Center I came to check out what was located here. There is a medium-sized parking lot off the main road, which is available only for trail users and contains a number of handicap stalls. The trailhead from this parking lot, closer to a few baseball fields than the Aquatic Center, is clearly marked and contains signage about the vegetation/Panther Lake and trail lengths. The Panther Lake Trail itself circled around Panther Lake and was a gravel path as of my visit on Wednesday 23 November 2022. Panther Lake is visible through trees and the ducks were out and making noise on my visit. Fun to have the wildlife reminding me I am not alone. Located by the parking lot is a small outhouse, with a large port-a-potti. It was long and not lit inside, so I found my flashlight on my phone to be helpful. Fortunately there was toilet paper, though I did resort to a mini hand sanitizer I had in my car to clean my hands.

We were told about this trail by a local who walked through the Ghost Town several years ago. This…read moresounded like a fun adventure so we took a hike. First: the parking area is chained shut and 'tow' signs are in the drive way area that leads to the parking lot. We drove over a one-way bridge (traffic signals control traffic direction) and found a parking area on the right. This area also has the same 'tow' signs but the lot had several vehicles and many people were in the area so we parked. It's a shady lot with a spring water dispenser straight from the ground. (A sign asks that you Venmo money for any water you take from the Spring) We walked back over the bridge, past the gate and onto the trail. Second: the initial hike is a wide incline covered in gravel. This leads you up and around to a Coal Car where the trail divides. The Ghost Town is to your right. The mine shaft and grave yard are to your left. Both trails continue to lead up. One of the hike pages I looked over described this as an 'easy' trail for kids. Regarding climbing over obstacles, the path is clear and it is an easy hike if you go toward the ghost town. However, the grade is pretty steep in that direction. The direction of the mine however has several trees down and most we had to climb over. The trail there is not well maintained. The Ghost Town: This pathway is mostly wide and gravel covered making it the easier of the two trails. We found one foundation covered in undergrowth on the right that you can climb the steps onto a small foundation. You have to really be looking to see the steps. On the left is what looks almost like a retaining wall on the hillside. That's all we saw of a 'town'. The path continues to climb up and around. It may lead out to the road on the opposite side of the hill but we did not walk all the way and I make that suggestion based on maps. This trail is mostly full sun. The Mine Shaft and Graveyard: We came back and took the left branch of the trail where it divides at the Coal Car. This trail runs from wide and gravel covered to single file while walking through raspberry bushes (prickers). Thankfully we had rain jackets on so those tiny thorns did not snag our shirts and I kept my hands above my head to save my skin. Be prepared for that. This trail is mostly shady. It takes a while to reach the mine shaft which includes a plaque with some mine information. The shaft is quite large, goes straight down, is surrounded by a metal railing and topped with a lattice of rebar. The sign suggest you drop a rock in to hear how deep the shaft is, however as this must have been done hundreds of times, rocks nearby are scarce. Bring your own rock with you. Once you have spent all the time you'd like at the mine shaft, take the trail to the left of the mine shaft plaque to continue on to the graveyard. There are a couple of places along the way that will make you wonder 'is this it?' It's not. Just keep going. It's another longish hike in a more gentle upward direction. The path veers off to your right at several points, one of which leads to a wet low area, but overhead here you will see remnants of some coal car rails. There is a trail leading up a steep incline that will take you to the top of the rails if you'd like a closer look. The 'up' is easier than the 'down' on this steep pathway. The graveyard is further ahead, past this coal car rail. Just keep walking. You will see on your right, at the base of a tree, a toppled over headstone that looks like a small obelisk. This, and a wooden sign erected by a local group stating they fenced in a grave, are the main visible signs of the graveyard. The area is completely overgrown, including the fenced in grave. After climbing over trees and fending off thorny raspberry bushes (without the joy of eating some of the berries) this was a disappointing hike. The trail ends here. Some of the downed trees have had a path chopped or cut out so you can walk around or through them but most your scramble over. I am not sure what is happening with this land or why the lot is closed with no explanation sign. I could not find information in a search of local news sites. I do wonder however if it has anything to do with a downtrodden looking 'resort' on the other side of the bridge. They offer you access to a waterfall for a small fee. I believe you can access this waterfall from the chained lot if you take the trail directly down to the river on the left. But this is just speculation. I did not take them up on their offer. If you are here for a nice, uphill hike, take the path to the right at the coal car and enjoy a wider path with some views of the surrounding area. That is a pleasant hike in and of itself. Just don't expect to see a 'ghost town' and you'll enjoy this hike. Happy hiking!

While the hike in and out was nice, easy for kids (of at least aged 5 years), and relatively quick,…read morethe ghost town wasn't really worth the effort (destination).

What a beautiful lake! Makes for one of the best camping sites in our opinion. The day we visited,…read morethe water was right up to the shore, about 10 feet away from the park benches. It was a typical Washington cloudy day but the turquoise blue color of the water just looked more moody & beautiful under the grey backdrop. Very beautiful views from this lake and is a must visit for all young families. There is no hike involved to reach the lake, Parking is just beside the lakeside. We did not camp here. The weather in May can still be a little cool to camp overnight but we would be back later in the summer to camp here. There is no dedicated children playground here but there are semi -closed spaces that can work as boundaries for young kids playing. The public restroom was very dirty, I couldn't use it. My spouse did use the honey bucket that was outside the public restrooms but it was not very clean as well.

One of our favorite spots in nature. Not a far drive from Snoqualmie Falls, and it has good ample…read moreof parking. We enjoy to come hang out at the lake with the gorgeous views & cool water. I do advise to bring chairs, beach mat or a thick towel if want to lay by the lake since it is quite rocky. There is grass area & trees for more comfort. We've hiked once or so at this trail, and it's really enjoyable. On busy days though, the bathroom with a flushable can get dirty & most likely wont get cleaned till the next day. I notice they do provide port-a-pottys in addition to the restroom.

Majestic and Beautiful Mt Rainier!!! So picturesque. It's truly a magnificent site to see. It never…read moregets old. I took Havanna, my grandpup for a stroll to Bonney lake on 6/8/25. I discovered that Ono Shaved ice truck was parked near Kite park. This was perfect as the day was pretty hot. I believe it was around 88 degrees. We stayed a little while but then it got way too hot to stay outdoors. Awesome for take pictures of the gorgeous view. Highly recommend visiting.