We were passing through after visiting Olympic Park and looking for a hiking spot in the area. Lake…read moreSylvia seemed like a possibility so we stopped off last Sunday around 10am. There were a few hikers there, but otherwise mostly those preparing to fish. We didn't visit the camping section, but they've got a decent sized day-use area with a good amount of parking, tables, and restrooms. We took the forest loop trail that leads from the lake along the stream through the forest and back around to the day-use, about 2 1/2 miles. There are sections of the trail that are simply gorgeous, and other parts not quite as pretty. But the trail is pretty fun, ups and downs, winding with steps and bridges. While the path is completely passable right now, it was very muddy in many places. A bit precarious at times, as some of the soupiest, slickest spots happened to be on inclines and declines. You'll definitely need waterproof shoes and prepare to get dirty, but Sylvia is good for a quick hike. They've got some interesting educational info along the trail too...and the lake has a very peaceful feeling.

This place is quite the gem for a family trip ! Camping is very reasonably priced. Our walk in…read moreprimitive sight was $20 a night. If you have children the walk in spots are best because the are closest to the swimming and playground and bathrooms! There are plenty of amazing trails and all well kept! ***WATER FALL ALERT*** yes there is a waterfall and also a really neat dam that creates a man man water fall affect . Fishing is aloud (no motor I believe) Dogs on leash Swim at your own risk Drinks aloud (I think ... I see lots of them) Also a group camping site that is at the top of a hill and looks down at the water. Easily fits 8-10 tents and has a covered shelter ! Perfect for a family reunion camping trip and honestly a beautiful place to even consider as a wedding venue.

Fantastic playgournd with a ton of different areas for the kiddos to play…read more There is a covered seating area which is great for parents on sunny and rainy days. My kids enjoyed the ziplines and bonus they set it up so I didn't have to pick up my kids to get them on it. There were bathrooms outside the fence area by a playfield which was nice to have avaliable.

Awesome playground! There are so many different structures & climbing options, slides,…read moremerry-go-round, swings and some zip-lines. Suitable for toddlers through big kids. The ground is the squishy astroturf stuff, which I think is nicer and more kid friendly than woodchips. There are clean restrooms available right next to the playground, with a water bottle filling fountain on the backside of that building. I've never seen a water bottle station at a park before (only normal water fountains) so that was cool. My only downside here: The playground area is completely open with no shade, so bear that in mind on hot days! When we visited it was in the mid-80's and we all got toasty quite quickly. There are two shelters with tables/benches available along the side, presumably mostly for parents and caregivers as the playground is so fun - good luck getting your kids to take a break from playing!

This place is a hidden gem! It has a very isolated feeling to it. The falls flow steadily into a…read morebeautiful oasis of crystal clear water that outlets into a peaceful creek. The hike to the falls is less than a mile from the trailhead with a 200ft elevation gain. Bringing your whole family to appreciate its beauty shouldn't be much of an issue. I'm almost hesitant to write this review based on some of the disrespect I've seen for the nature in surrounding areas ie; Trash left behind by visitors and people engraving their Initials and other things on the trees/earth. Im hoping my review brings people to want to visit this great spot that our national parks/Forests have to offer! Map: Green Trails Grisdale No. 198 GPS GRID: N 47 21.227 W 123 33.912 Directions: - travel north on Forrest Road 22 "Wynoochee Road" -Turn right on Forrest Road 23 and take for 17 miles - the trailhead sign "spoon creek falls" will be on your right. PLEASE Practice "LEAVE NO TRACE"

Great place to clear your mind with all the beautiful natural landscape. I would recommend wearing…read morea long sleeve/pants while doing the hike down due to overgrown bushes and maybe water shoes. Today I didn't get my feet wet but previously we went during rainy times and we had to cross path in water to reach the waterfall. Kinda hard to find since not a lot of signs but my phone navigation got me there. Not much or no cell service. So if needed print it out. Just past the entrance to the waterfall is a fire pit area for possible day camp. Today someone had a tent in this location.Beautiful waterfall with such clear water. Very peaceful and quite.

Chehalis River Surge Plain Natural Area Preserve is a Washington State Department of Natural…read moreResources managed land. It has two parking lots and an interpretive trail that connects those two parking lots. The distance between the lots/length of the interpretive trail in one direction is approximately 3.5 miles (so about 7 miles roundtrip). There is another shoreline access trail from the Preachers Slough parking lot that is 1/4 mile each way, so 1/2 mile roundtrip. If you hike all of the foot trails the total is a little over 7.5 miles. A Discover Pass is required for this site, and I found signage that provided instructions on how to purchase one if you forgot to buy one in advance of your visit. I chose to purchase my pass online which was $11.50 including the $1.50 processing fee. The nice thing about a one day Discover Pass is that the pass is good for the whole day, so you can use it to visit more than one park if you so desire. I chose to park my car at the parking lot on Preachers Slough Road while I hiked the trail out and back. I encountered a total of four other groups during the four hours I spent hiking and exploring this location. Blue Slough Road and Highway 107 run alongside the interpretive trail meaning I could hear vehicles on the road while I was hiking. The trail runs along the winding Chehalis River and there are occasional look-outs over the river. The parking lot on Blue Slough Road is the larger of the two. There was a picnic area and boat ramp in addition to a restroom (port-a-potti). A few fallen trees were in the water at the bend in the river not far from the boat ramp. About half a mile from the trailhead at Preachers Slough Road is a viewing platform. I stopped on my way back to the car and encountered two geese with their two goslings. At first I only saw one goose and one gosling. Then the other gosling and goose came out and they slowly waddled and foraged their way along the river bank. I saw a few other groups of geese/geese and goslings on my hike. They are so precious! An hour of my time was absorbed watching geese and their goslings foraging and swimming about. It would have taken me less than four hours to hike the interpretive trail if I hadn't stopped very often to take pictures or watch the wildlife. The trail path is flat and well maintained, so I found it arduous in the sense of not getting so distracted by the wildlife and vegetation as to not complete the trail. There were parts of the trail I would stop every 3 inches to 15 feet just to take a few pictures, I took just shy of 400 photos and videos total. This place is amazing and the plants and animals you can see are diverse and abundant. At one of the informational signs about birds and their songs, I read the sign, turned left and there was a wren near the sign. Talk about perfect timing! Mosquitos were not a problem and I didn't get any bug bites on my visit. In reading the Department of Natural Resources' website however, I learned of some cougar and bear potential sightings/appearances. The site provided some guidance on what to do to ward them off or if you encountered them in person. I incorporated some of the tips like making myself larger and speaking loudly as part of my hike to be safe. I was just one person, so this meant everyone once in a while I would stop, spread my arms, make myself tall and shout things like 'I love you cougars! I love you cougars! I love you cougars!'. So far as I know no one else on the trail saw me... Signs posted along the interpretive trail tell about the history of the area and the wildlife. I thoroughly enjoyed these fun tidbits that helped give context for how the land has changed over and through time. Little tidbits like a railroad used to run through here help bring history to life.

Muddy, authentic, light hearted.... Good feel of Aberdeen. Small area...don't slip. Saw a couple…read moreother visitors while we were there

My granddaughter is a big fan so of course we had to visit. It was nice that it's been kept up and…read moreno trash left around. It's in a beautiful residential area.

Sadly Damon Point is no longer accessible by foot and remains closed as of march 9, 2026…read more See most up to date information on the visit Ocean Shores website: https://www.osgov.com/news_detail_T6_R1303.php When it was accessible, it was truly a glorious park.

Maybe my maps app was misguiding me, but it said this location is permanently closed. I tried a few…read moredifferent routes and I wasn't able to locate the park. It kept taking me to construction areas and then a neighborhood area. I was looking forward to this park because of the driftwood from the pictures. It was my first time in Ocean Shores, so I'll give it another try next visit.

Information on documents from September 2024…read more Beautiful location. Great for people of all ages.

Finally got up to the Staircase area last week. Great time to visit, although the gorgeous…read morecampground isn't open the trails were practically empty. You have to park near the Lake Cushman day use area, as the road into Staircase is closed for the season. We took the rapid loop trail first. The trail was fun, not too muddy, and an easy 2 1/2 miles including the short out & back to the big cedar. The trees are beautiful and the waters crystal clear. We also decided to take the Shady Lane Trail, just to take a different trail back to the van and day use. This trail was nice, but it wasn't in quite as good of shape right now. The lake was lovely too. We enjoyed a nice lunch at the day use, and got gorgeous aerial pics of its clear waters and massive boulders. The Staircase area is just beautiful. While I would've loved to stay at the campground, I prefer the peacefulness of the trails at this time of year.

This is truly a very magical place to go so many wonderful things to see the great view of the…read morewater. It is so relaxing, almost Zen like when you're here. So worth the trip just to sit relax, enjoy nature and just spend time with special people in your life.

A hidden gem that is amazingly peaceful. Hall's Hill Lookout is definitely a special spot to visit.read more

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!!

Friends Landing is one of those places that reminds you why small towns and simple spaces are where…read moreit's at. It's peaceful, scenic, and right on the Chehalis river, perfect for fishing, boating, dog walking, or just sitting quietly and taking it all in. There's nothing flashy here, and that's exactly the point. It feels cared for, accessible, and connected to the land in a way that's becoming harder to find. What I appreciate most is how welcoming and unpretentious it is. You'll see families, and visitors all sharing the space respectfully. It's a great spot to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with nature without feeling crowded or commercialized. If you're in Montesano and looking for a calm, beautiful place to spend some time outdoors, Friends Landing is absolutely worth a visit. It's simple, authentic, and quietly beautiful.

August 2-4, 2025 - Montesano, WA…read more We loved this campground--especially after coming from a busy, crowded KOA. The peacefulness here was a welcome and much-appreciated change. There are 18 RV sites with water and electrical hookups. The campground is nestled between a river and a lake, offering a scenic and serene setting. A trail loops around the lake, and I really enjoyed taking peaceful walks there with my pup.