This is our favorite dog park to take our pup. Simply put, it's MASSIVE. Our dog can run, play, and…read moresocialize with so many different dogs all over this park and he comes back exhausted and so happy from his fun filled day. Worth the drive no matter where you are in WA. Rain or shine this park is always open. Just don't be surprised if your pup comes back covered in mud on a rainy day .

This is on the site of a former territorial military fort, then a state mental hospital and work…read morefarm (c.1868). With the farm's closing in the 1970's, a wonderful gift to the people of Lakewood and Washington state grew out of the distress of those hospital days. A diamond rising from the ashes, so to speak. There are a few of the farm buildings remaining plus the foundation to the barracks for the hospital's farm workers. More over there is tons of room to spread out, no matter what your activity might be (sports fields, trails, picnic areas......)

Playground by the Sound is the Chambers Bay park playground on the northeast corner of the park…read more Decent size parking lot, though it can be full on super nice days and in the summer (in a pinch I've parked along the road and walked back). The playground is split into an older kids side and a younger kids side, with 1 entry (and a fence surrounding). Visibility isn't perfect but the single entry point is great if you want to stand in the middle to keep an eye on kiddos. Great spot for play dates (come with a coffee!). There are portapotties at the park and a real restroom a small walk down the path. Park is great for kids to use their imaginations and play, which is so much fun. Great spot to bring a ball and play catch or picnic to sit and relax or bikes! Can get hot - wear sunscreen if the weather is nice. Friends said it's also fun to bring bikes or a stroller and hit up the cafe (a bit of distance from the playground) and have some sweet potato fries.

This is definitely one of the nicer playgrounds within the area with amazing views of the sound to…read moreenjoy. My kids love coming here to play, scooter and walk around on the paved trails surrounding the playground. The playground is divided with an area for toddlers (2-5) and older kids. Spacious parking lot and picnic tables as well around. Restrooms are nearby as well - they are well maintained and nice as far as public park restrooms go (heated in the fall/winter time). There is also a little library here too. I enjoy coming here every time!

Nice beachfront. Parking can be tight in warm months and securing covered bar-b-Que....get there…read moreearly. Please don't play loud music in car or waterfront. Lots of folks go there to relax and enjoy sound of beach water but most times others just intrude on your space w their sounds of music they want. Why can't natural settings be just that.

Sunnyside Beach Park is a nice spot to bring your family, friends, etc to spend some time in the…read morewarmer months. The paid $5 lot fills up fast in the summer however there is street parking only 1/2 mile away and you can just park/walk over. You have to cross train tracks to get over to the beach and park which is worth mentioning. The playground has an area for older and younger kiddos. Restrooms are available, but not always well kept. A lot of picnic tables throughout and space to make your own picnic area if you wanted. Overall: I recommend in the summer - come earlier if you prefer it a little less crowded!

Hot day went here as plenty of shade and not crowded with people friendly people the creek is not…read morevery deep fried meyers very close to gret grilling stuff for a bbq it's nice and cool place to take your pets

Overall a nice park in UP! There's a steep, one-way road that goes down to the park, so the sooner…read moreyou clear it the less likely you are to run into another car going the other direction! Tiny parking lot at the bottom, maybe 8 spots? Enough room to maneuver a truck, but it's tight! There's a very well built building right next to the parking lot with bathrooms, tables, and a grill. Right next to the creek so it's an awesome spot to pull up a seat and enjoy the shade! As you leave the parking lot and go through the ravine, you'll have a fairly nice short walk with no elevation gain. Go over the bridge and up the hill and you hit the edge of the park. Take the first steep hill on the right before the bridge and you'll be sent through the trail system. Very nicely maintained stairs and boardwalks. Be warned that the stairs are steep! A few times I felt like I was climbing attic stairs, it's definitely not disability friendly. Overall it's a great place to hide from the sun and I'll definitely be back!

This hidden park in the community at the edge of Steilacoom is a real true hidden gem this place is…read morean absolute slice of heaven perfect in every way it has a barbecue grill. It has the beach access. The only hard part is the stairs going down are very very steep and could definitely prevent anyone with a walking disability. there is parking at the top of the beach, but I will definitely be back and this will be a hidden secret that I won't share with many it would be a shame for this to be overpopulated

It's beautiful , tranquil and rocky. Not a lot of people come here I think cause of the fricken…read morestairs! Whew they are steep! I was hoofing down a chair, umbrella, floatie and bag... yikes. Then I had to climb back up ... yikes. Lol Had to say I was the only one for about 1 1/2 hrs then a few more folks. Group with Inflateable paddle boards, few kayak. Not a lot of people sunbathing. Just me haha. Water was cold but on a hot day was inviting. It was also pretty calm at this beach as well so floating was excellent! It was peaceful. I got lucky and hit low tide too. Nice view to Narrows bridge tho too!

Beautiful park for walking, has a nice big lake with lots of ducks! I will always come back here…read morewhen I'm in the area :) great for walking alone or with your significant other.

It is a very nice park to take the kids or walk the trail. It's nice that it's a level so it…read moredoesn't hurt my bad knee.

Out of all honesty I'm hovering between three to four stars on this park. Much of it revolves…read morearound the timing of when you go here I imagine. Most of the surrounding shore that makes up American Lake looks to be private and this park seems to be more of a boat launching point for the general public to use for utilizing the lake. The park itself is quite small and that also goes for the parking lot as well. The day I went was a warm day so the park was full as well as the designated lots. Filled lots for certain parks often times in neighborhoods aren't really that big of a deal because you can use curbside parking that is usually nearby but in this part of Lakewood there is no curbside parking at all and it looks like parking in front of someone's house doesn't seem like it's a good idea because one gets the idea you are parking in their yard and not on a curb. So what I did was park in an area that was designated for a school and carefully looked for any parking restrictions given the amount of time it would take for me to walk to the park, check it out for a bit then walk back. This proved to not be an issue parking here but the walk was a bit long. Fortunately the day that I picked to go to American Lake was a clear day and if you walk to the boat docks you can get a good view of Mount Rainier and the the lake itself is very pretty. But don't assume you can get a clear view of the mountain all of the time. Overcast is not unusual. There is also a decent looking beach here as far as lake beaches go but like everything the day I went it was fairly crowded. The boat ramp was in full use as well and a line of cars were waiting to unload as well. Definitely a very busy park the day I went despite it's size. Aside from the crowds this park isn't too bad and if you can enjoy the view of Mount Rainier and the water I'd definitely bump that aspect of the park up to four stars.

I can't believe I haven't been to this park sooner. It's just the right size and not overcrowded…read more It's a small nice park with lots of parking and boat/dock access for fishing and boats. I bet it probably gets kind of busy in the warmer months but it's perfect in the spring to just grab a folding chair and just sit out by the lake unhampered. There isn't much actual beach, but rather the green grass steeply slopes down hill directly into the reasonably clean water. There is signage that there is no lifeguard on duty, so swim at your own risk. This would be a perfect free place to cool down if you're too hot and it's a small enough roped off swimming area that it may be more hard to lose your kids. You should still keep an eye on them though as any good person should. There is also a small playground as well if your little ones don't want to go near the water. There is also a single outdoor show for rinsing off before you head on home and the restrooms with handicapped accessibility are reasonably clean. I didn't see a doggy doo bag station though which explains the few spots of dog turds near the beach which kind of makes me think the water is icky if that runs off into the water. I just really think this is an excellent place to come and get an unobstructed view of the lake. So often do all the houses block bodies of water as the land is coveted. I will definitely be back with a picnic blanket and maybe a good book.

Beautiful lake! Clean water. Can get very busy!! Not great for littles but older kids is great time!read more

I thought this park was reasonable. There is a skate park, a baseball field, ample parking,…read morerestrooms, playground, access to the water and docks and a few shady areas to just throw out a blanket and chill out. If the other parks on American Lake get full, come here. I agree that several of the people that come here don't know how to drive or park, but again there is always plenty of room in any of the lots to park if you don't like the way someone is parked. I will also agreed that after driving though Tillicum, I didn't expect this park to be in any good condition. It's not hyper-ghetto but I did detect a bit of sketchiness the later the day became. So, I wouldn't leave valuables in the car. I didn't see that cops patrol around either. The grass is well kept on the steep hill that leads to the docks and is perfect for picnicking. There isn't much of a beach and there wasn't a lifeguard available. If you're not all about sitting on the ground, there is a pavilion as well with benches and trash cans. I didn't see a place to grill anywhere, but I may have missed it. Still overall a decent place to relax during the summer.

The park it self is pretty nice and right next to Manitou elementary. The playground equipment is…read morebrand new and it includes swings, two play structures, climbing rocks, and other fun things that children can explore. The park is also very large with plenty of grass, trees for shade, picnic tables, covered eating areas, and restrooms. This really is an ideal place to spend a few hours letting the little ones get some exercise and have a picnic if you wish. So why only a three stars you ask? The neighborhood is AWFUL!!!! It is full of rift rafts who congregate at this park at all hours. During the day your likely to run into teenagers skipping from near by high school and middle school and occasionally you get a few tweekers who lay on the benches or sit on the playground equipment talking to themselves. The teenagers are the worst of the bunch, they come to smoke cigs and be as vulgar as possible. They also use the equipment for drawing inappropriate pictures on as well as their own personal toilet (I have seen this more then once). It's really a shame cause like I stated earlier this is a great park that is just suffering because it is being overrun by delinquents.

We really like this park. It's a perfect place to throw out a blanket and read a book. Or let…read moreyour kids run around on the playground. Well kept and clean.

We showed up in August hoping to rent kayaks. Due to algae bloom it was not safe to go in the lake…read more They charge to go in the lake. When I went thru the gate, there was no mention of the lake being contaminated. Other than that, it was a nice lake. Will try it again next summer.

Family picnics here many times, always turned out great. Well kept grounds boat launch and lake…read moreclose by. Playgrounds for the kids just a great place