Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center

One of the few (only?) olympic-​caliber public swimming facilities in all of King County. They’ve done substantial upgrades in the past few years on the HVAC system, added public wifi, upgraded the bathrooms and the entry area.
Olympic-​caliber means full 8-​lane 50-​meter pool with anti-​wave lane lines and other water control tech. It also means full dive pool (springboards and platforms). There’s even another pool for the little kiddos to get lessons in.
Seating in the bleachers is plentiful and comfortable (as bleacher seating goes), there are bathrooms available on the main level, not just down in the locker rooms.
It’s just a shame that there aren’t more of these facilities in King County (like one in Shoreline or something) because I think swimming would be a far more popular sport here if we weren’t saddled with cold-​war-​era pools that are all aging terribly.

I take my son here he loves it is a good place to bring your kids to learn how to swim and have some fun

This review is based on the family/​kiddie swim side of things, not so much for the serious lap swimmer or swim lessons.
I went with my 2 year old for some splashing and casual fun swimming, and I suppose I’m comparing this facility with the bright colorful fun stuff at the Federal Way Community Center pool, Tacoma’s Kandle pool and Stewart Heights pool, and the Norpoint center pool. The things that are really attractive to my little guy (the bright colors, the fun sprinklers and fountains, the buckets, all those bells and whistles) are somewhat lacking at the Aquatic center. The kids area is mainly a large pool divided by a wall with a pirate ship, one shallow beach entry side and one 4′ side. They have pool noodles and kickboards, but not so much in the way of the «sprinkler park» type of water play.
The facility itself and the locker room are very large, very clean, and the staff seem really attentive, friendly but take their jobs seriously. If I were a serious swimmer, this would be my top choice, but I feel like I’ve been a little spoiled by the fun kiddie areas at a couple of the other local pools.

This is a great pool for lap swimmers! That earns them five stars.
They get two stars, overall, because they have *extremely* restricted lap swim times. 5:30 am-8:00 am or 11:30 am-1:30 pm during the week… and zero lap swim on weekends. Plus, in the last three months, they have been closed to lap swimmers a total of 17 days for swimming events.
I’m not sure why they can’t be open for lap swim in the evenings or on weekends for those of us with jobs.

Super nice pool! The Olympic Swim Trials have even been there I was told.

Great place to swim, I came here when visiting from out of town, as I needed to get some training in for my upcoming Ironman. The pool is very clean. I swam at 7:00 AM on a Tuesday and there were only 2 other swimmers. The locker room doesn’t have hair dryers and they don’t provide towels so make sure you bring everything you need.

This is the best pool I’ve ever been lucky enough to swim in! It’s very clean, and seems well-​maintained. The water never has a bad taste like at other pools where the chlorine ratio seems off. The water is usually a cool, comfortable temperature, but they make it pretty cold when they’re having meets.
They don’t have a hot tub, though. I wish they did. Hot tub time to socialize with my friends after workouts is something I really like.
My only other criticisms are regarding the locker room. I think they make you pay to use lockers — 50c for a small one, and 75c for a bigger one. I’ve never used one, but everywhere I’ve been before has had free lockers for daily use. I just bring my stuff out onto the pool deck. As for the showers, they’re communal style. I prefer showers that are individual, so I usually just wait to shower until I get home.
Aside from the lack of a hot tub, this is my favorite pool. :)

We take our girls here all the time for swimming lessons. The staff is wonderful. The teachers aren’t high school or college girls. These teachers are fit moms or mom-​aged women. They’re helpful and sweet and they do a terrific job. We see substantial progress each time we sign them up for lessons.
This spot is great for family swim time too. I’m sure we haven’t exhausted their services, but we love what we do participate in.

I wen to visit my friend for her son’s first birthday and she was having it here in their rec room in the back of the center. It was a great room and HUGE!!!
The staff was very friendly and quick to empty the trash on the hour! I can not speak for the activities with the pool or anything so sorry if thats what you were looking for!
Great spot to have a birthday party! Clean, friendly, and they clean up after you when you’re done!

On a hot summer day, the fam and I made the trip from Seattle to Federal Way to visit an unnamed water park. That was a clustercuss (literally). The disappointed face of my child spawned increasing hostility for the water park that shall not be named. It should be called The Crusher of Children’s Dreams.
Since we were all traveled out, I got on Unilocal and found this aquatic center. We weren’t expecting much and stopped in to have a look. I groaned a bit when I saw a very sparsely filled parking lot. We went inside and saw an impressive Olympic sized pool. Since there wasn’t anyone swimming in it, we asked about open swim hours. What luck! We were there at the right time! We went downstairs to have a peek at the pool.
My kiddo’s face lit up! A huge pirate ship divided two sides of a pool. A few dozen happy swimmers splashed around with beach balls, noodles, and mini kick boards. Fun! I was sick of being hot and sweaty in the sweltering car, I decided to chill in the pool too. For an hour and a half, we forgot our problems and had a great family day.
Did I mention the price? Yeah. $ 3.25 for each of us, bringing it to a whopping $ 9.75 for the whole family. Compare that to the price of The Crusher of Children’s Dreams, even at the special price of $ 14.99 per person, would have totaled $ 44.97 before parking, food, and standing in miserable lines to get onto one ride or floating in a wall-​to-​wall crowded wave pool. No thank you.
The staff members we encountered were friendly (1 person at the front and 2 lifeguards at the pool). All were very helpful. If I’m ever in the area again, I’m definitely going back, although I think my child wants to go to The Crusher of Children’s Dreams again. Ugh!

I have been swimming laps here since August 2009! Clean, friendly, excellent facilities, and you can boast that you swim where «Olympic Athletes» swim! I have used other pools in the area, but The Aquatic Center is head and shoulders above the rest.
Competition pool is set for Long & Short Course (25 or 50 meters) at various times of the year. The diving pool is well maintained, and the recreation pool is welcoming to all fitness levels.
They offer swim classes, private events, and passes that make exercise affordable.
Whether you are a lap swimmer (I swim over 3 miles a day) or just want some fun, The Aquatic Center is the place for you!

My two year old has and is currently taking swimming lessons here. The place remains clean and service is friendly. No matter what time I am here it is hustling and bustling, but I never have to compete for lockers or showers. There is a diverse group of people here and I like that a lot.
The swim instructor is awesome and great with kids. The toddler class is great when a pool can be used with 0 depth entry in the kids pool. I have been here for synchronized swimming events and the venue holds people well and it is a fun place to watch talented swimmers and divers practice and compete.
The only downside about this place is the parking lot. People lose all sense of community and kindness in the parking lot. But, I can look past it for what is happening indoors.

Wow,
To go from high school pools or local neighborhood ones for swim meets to this is incredible. No problems with seating because its set up like an event center. Sunken pool with bleachers all around.
Great set up, love to see the county putting tax dollars to work like this!

It’s great. Water is warm. Sometimes you can use the 50m pool, and other times it’s 25m. I’m not sure what the pattern is. $ 5/​visit is a bit spendy, but it’s the best option for a pool if you go a few times a week.

My favorite place to swim in Washington, the best swimming venue in the northwest. Sports entusiasts have to visit this great venue.

I used to take swimming lessons here when I was little.
There is a shallow pool, which goes up to 4ft deep, for smaller children to swim in. It’s more of a play pool. In another room is where the Olympic-​sized swimming pool is. And next to this pool is the diving area. I think there are 4 different diving levels.
Also, this is a good place to hold kid’s birthday parties. They have a room that you can use as a party room.

I spend a lot of time here with my kids’ in swim team. This is one of the few 50 meter pools in King County.
I’ve never actually swam here, so this more of a review of the facilities from a spectator’s perspective.
The pool is well ventilated, so it doesn’t feel like a sauna (after 6 hours a sauna isn’t very relaxing) and the first two rows of bleachers have seat-​backs.
Since my kids end up only swimming 5 to 8 minutes of a 6 hour stay, the free King County Park wi-​fi is a boon. I get caught up on Unilocaling (like right now) and blogging and work.
There is a Subway located in the building — not great, but convenient.
Parking is a little tight, but overflow parking is available at the neighboring Little League fields.
I don’t mind coming to swim meets here — the facilities are nice and it makes the time go by quickly.