Gold Creek Park
Managed by King County Parks
35 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Photo by Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Cottage Lake
Cottage Lake has 26 miles of mapped trails, 1.1 for every square mile of land
903 acres are parks and preserves, 40 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Gold Creek Park (1.4 mi), Hollywood Hill Greenbelt (0.6 mi), Woodinville Sports Club (0.5 mi). 8% of Cottage Lake’s land is conserved, about 1,141 acres.
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #79 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,141 acres · of 22.7 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
903 ac
40 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
74%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.8 mi
0.2 mi lanes · 6.5 mi paths
Highest peak
587 ft
Ring Hill
Lakes & rivers
4
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Cottage Lake?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cottage Lake have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cottage Lake is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #79 of 285 in Washington. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cottage Lake’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical WA town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · WA 0.8 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land40 acres of park per 1,000 residents (903 acres) · WA 11 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home74% of residents within a half mile of a park · WA 92% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 85%
LessMore
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 73%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Gold Creek Park, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hollywood Hill Greenbelt
Park
10 acres0.6 mi of trail
10 Acre Woods Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Woodinville Sports Club
Park
62 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Northshore Athletic Fields
Managed by King County Parks
18 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Gold Creek Park35 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · King County Parks
DirectionsHollywood Hill Greenbelt10 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Woodinville Sports Club62 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsEnglish Hill Greenbelt5 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsNorthshore Athletic Fields18 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · King County Parks
DirectionsCottage Lake Park20 acres · King County Parks
DirectionsWho protects it
1,141 conserved acres
8% of Cottage Lake’s land. Who manages Cottage Lake’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,158 ac
Joint16 ac
Local Park · 889 acConservation Easement · 153 acAgricultural Easement · 107 acUnknown Easement · 24 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 264 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 20 of 38 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ring Hill Forest Local Park | County | 315 | Open |
| Paradise Lake Natural Area Local Park | County | 138 | Open |
| Cold Creek Natural Area Local Park | County | 128 | Open |
| Middle Bear Creek Natural Area Local Park | County | 81 | Open |
| Tolt Pipeline Trail Site Local Park | County | 59 | Open |
| Gold Creek Park Local Park | County | 35 | Open |
| Upper Bear Creek Natural Area Local Park | County | 34 | Open |
| Bassett Pond Natural Area Local Park | County | 31 | Open |
| Cottage Lake Park Local Park | County | 21 | Open |
| Northshore Athletic Fields Local Park | County | 19 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Cottage Lake
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Cottage Lake
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Cottage Lake
Cottage Lake PoolIn Cottage Lake Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Cottage Lake
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Cottage Lake
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Cottage Lake
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Cottage Lake
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Cottage Lake
Ring Hill587 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.2 miHorses · 5.3 miUnpaved · 10.3 mi
Tuck Creek Trail0.8 mi
Tom Ring Trail0.6 mi
10 Acre Woods Trail0.6 mi
Raven's Watch0.4 mi
Brook Trails Trail #80.4 mi
Cedar Cone Loop0.4 mi
Bear Point Trail0.3 mi
Brook Trails Trail #150.3 mi
Radar Spur0.3 mi
200th Avenue Northeast0.3 mi
15 more trails
Brook Trails Trail #16
0.2 miSnoqualmie Valley Loop
0.2 miBrook Trails Trail #19
0.2 miBrook Trails Trail #14
0.2 miBrook Trails Trail #17
0.2 miBrook Trails Trail #18
0.2 miSunrise trail
0.2 miBrook Trails Trail #1
0.2 miBrook Trails Trail #9
0.2 miBrook Trails Trail #2
0.2 miBrook Trails Trail #3
0.1 mi164th Street Trail
0.1 miBrook Trails Trail #5
0.1 miBrook Trails Trail #12
0.1 miBrook Trails Trail #11
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
6.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
15Equestrian
14Basketball
13Tennis
10Baseball
5Pickleball
2Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Cottage Lake: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.8 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 16.0 | 15.6 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 8.4 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 49 | 53 | 58 | 65 | 69 | 75 | 76 | 70 | 60 | 51 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 5.9 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 4.5 | 6.7 | 6.3 |
July is the driest month (0.9 in) and August the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 6.7 inches fall in November, the wettest month. The climate in Cottage Lake →
Next door
Cottage Lake and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Redmond45 miUnion Hill-Novelty Hill43 miMaltby42 miCottage Lake26 miWoodinville6.4 miHigh Bridge0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottage Lake | 8% | 1.1 | 40 | 74% | A |
| Woodinville | 5% | 1.1 | 16 | 99% | A |
| Union Hill-Novelty Hill | 2% | 1.8 | 12 | 77% | B+ |
| Redmond | 14% | 2.7 | 20 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Maltby | 9% | 2.2 | 109 | 65% | A |
| High Bridge | 2% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 18% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cottage Lake
Where can I hike in Cottage Lake?
The longest trail networks: Gold Creek Park, 1.4 miles; Hollywood Hill Greenbelt, 0.6 miles; Woodinville Sports Club, 0.5 miles; English Hill Greenbelt, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cottage Lake is conserved land?
8% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Washington town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Cottage Lake’s trails?
Gold Creek Park and Hollywood Hill Greenbelt don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cottage Lake?
6.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes and 6.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Cottage Lake?
37,229 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cottage Lake or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 903 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Cottage Lake have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #79 of 285 in Washington. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Cottage Lake neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →