Wapato Park

Nice Park, with paved walking trails around a pond, playground and designated dog area.

What a great park! I never knew this place was here especially with all the business that have appeared to grown up around it keeping it hidden away.
I recently came here for a fund raiser on a weekend and had the pleasure of enjoying the many activities at this park. There is a wonderful walking path around the lake with hidden places to picnic, play sports and venture out on side roads. Taking the main road up further will lead you to a seperate fenced dog park and other walking trails appearing to offer several smaller parks within the large one. Beautifully designed for park dwellers pleasure.
It feels like a smaller quaint version of seward park or Golden Gate park.
Defintely a urban oasis!
Downside, parking is limited and scattered at each park location. It can be very difficult and requires patience in circling to find a spot. A police station is also located at the entrance of the park so I would advise not illegally parking =D

This is one of those urban oases, where you’re within a few blocks of a major interstate but you’re surrounded on all sides by dense foliage and peaceful green space. There’s a good-​size lake for walking some short laps (smaller than Green Lake Park in Seattle, but similar vibe), and there’s a cool off-​leash dog park (separate Unilocal entry).
There’s not much to say about this park other than that it’s both super easy to get to and also surrounded by very busy streets; it’s well-​maintained but the facilities are modest, and every chunk of green space in an urban setting is a bit of a blessing. This is more of a park for people to get their walks in, for themselves and their dogs, than it is a showpiece for the parks system. But it’s very necessary and the Metro Parks District is doing a great job maintaining it.

I love this park! I have been coming here since I was a kid. I feel like we have been through a lot together lol at one point this park had seen better days, but now it is just as beautiful as before. Plus the dog park is awesome. This is a great place for a night time jog, never too crowded and it is very well kept. I rarely ever notice garbage. Oh yeah and I feel really safe here! Considering tpd has an office right on the 72^nd side and they let there presence be known which I like!

The park looks fantastic and you can even fish here again (15 and under only). It’s nice that whatever happened to the water has been fixed –it’s not glowing or anything anymore! I’d of given it a five but the pier is not accessible and is growing really dilapidated — not a great view from the boat house which looks fabulous! Fun family picnic sight again — I remember taking my kids there.. .

One of the most beautiful parks I’ve ever had the privilege of going to. Walking around the lake is so peaceful and I love all the trees and green grass. They have a good play toy for kids too. :)

This is a great park with a playground, a lake, and a nice trail. It is mostly a clean park but the lake always looks very dirty. The trail around the lake is about a mile and has nice scenery to view on the walk. Most Saturdays there are people LARPing in the park with big swords. Great place to go with your family on a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon.

I like this park. It’s cozy. Accordingly to my inaccurate running tracker, it’s about 0.8−0.9 mile loop if you follow the trail. There’s ducks and ducklings in the lake. It’s just a peaceful scene. My coworkers are highly against this park; I think it’s from old reputation that the wouldn’t give it a second chance. It seems pretty safe. After all, the Tacoma Police building is right there. :)

This isn’t the worst park I have been too, but it isn’t the best. But for the Tacoma area this is a really great park. My dog and I walk around the lake almost daily. So beautiful no matter what the weather. No complaints on this end, except if you are going to take your running kid into the off leash dog area don’t get mad at my herding dog for chasing after the animal/​kid that is running. It’s in her blood to herd. And I shouldn’t have to leash up my dog in the off-​leash area because you don’t want your kid chased.

God this park is so amazingly beautiful and well kept. The landscaping is on point. They even have a dog park. I’m sold!
Seriously though, you really have to see how well kept this park is. I’m glad I decided to drive around while waiting for the near by Value Village to open. Now I can check one more park off my list of parks & trails in my trails of Washington book. Going around the lake is about 1.25 miles give or take. There are some off the beaten path trails too.
Even if you drive in the upper part and you see the police substation, even the landscaping and sculpture outside the police department is nice. I’m glad that I’ve found a new park to visit with a cool lake (no swimming allowed) and nice grass to sit in to read a book and a great trail to walk or bike.
They’ve got restroom facilities and a really nice playground too.
They are right about DON’T FEED THE WILDLIFE though. Those squirrels are a hot mess.

I’m glad I re-​discovered this park, where the old baseball fields used to be now is a cool off leash dog bark area. Or you can walk around the lake, let the kids play at the playground. Plenty of restrooms here, and plenty of parking too! DO NOT FEED THE WILDLIFE!

I actually went here late at night.
I don’t know what the whole park looks like in the morning but the night view was
pretty too :)
I hope to come here again in the daytime to visit.

Thank goodness Wapato is close to many of the restaurants I go to. Perfect place for a stroll after a great meal.

Growing up, I lived only a few blocks away from Wapato park. My brother and I would bike over almost every day during the summer. They have improved this park so much! The loop around the lake wasn’t always there, part of it was gated off because there were private homes on the far side of the lake.
For a long time, this park has always been a bit, well, ghetto. Kind of shady and you really didn’t want to be there after dark. That’s changed. There’s now a police station right on the edge of the park and the maintenance department as been working hard to clean everything up.
They started doing some major improvements to this park in the last few years. The improvement plans look great. I’m so happy to see this park getting the face-​lift it needs. Lots of fun memories here!

I am so excited they have opened the walking trail! As a former resident of Seattle, there were always so many lakes/​parks/​beaches ect to get out and get some exercise, but after moving down here I dont feel like I have a lot of options. This little park is perfect! small lake with mostly flat trail all the way around, and they are currently working on more trails throughout the more wooded parts of the park. Bathrooms, picknik tables, even a playground for the kiddos. This neighborhood full of housing will all surely appreciate this, already apparent in the amount of people I have seen walking the few times I was there.

A nice, large city park encompassing namesake Wapato Lake. I love to walk the dog here.