Saltwater State Park
Managed by Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
132 acres2.1 mi of trail
South Rim TrailNorth Rim TrailInterpretive Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Des Moines
12% of Des Moines’ land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
12 miles of mapped trail cross Des Moines, 1.9 per square mile of land. 12% of Des Moines’ land is conserved, about 490 acres. The biggest trail networks: Saltwater State Park (2.1 mi), Steven J. Underwood Memorial Park (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #44 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
490 acres · of 6.4 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
373 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
9.0 mi lanes · 1.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
6 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Des Moines?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Des Moines have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Des Moines is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #44 of 285 in Washington. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Des Moines’ overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical WA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · WA 0.8 · U.S. 0.4APark land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (373 acres) · WA 11 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · WA 92% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 91%
LessMore
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 85%
Water is 13% of Des Moines’ area (1 of 7 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 10%.
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 Saltwater State Park, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Steven J. Underwood Memorial Park
Park
16 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 13 parks & preserves
Saltwater State Park132 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
DirectionsSteven J. Underwood Memorial Park16 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsWooton Park2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsParkside Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
City Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMidway Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Field House Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDes Moines Beach Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSonju Park5 acres
Water Tower Park1 acres
Sound View Park1 acres · City of Des Moines
DirectionsKiddie Park1 acres
Overlook II Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
490 conserved acres
12% of Des Moines’ land. Water is left out: Des Moines has 6.4 square miles of land and 1.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Des Moines’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city243 ac
Regional agency134 ac
State parks132 ac
Local Park · 296 acState Park · 132 acLocal Other or Unknown · 57 acLocal Conservation Area · 24 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saltwater State Park | State parks | 132 | Open |
| Highline Cc Local Park | Regional agency | 77 | Open |
| Loth43 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Mt Rainier Local Park | Regional agency | 47 | Open |
| Des Moines Marina Local Park | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Woodmont Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Des Moines Beach Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Steven J Underwood Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Zenith Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Parkside Wetlands Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
50 places to go in Des Moines
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Des Moines
6 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Des Moines
Mount Rainier Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Des Moines
31 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Boat launches in Des Moines
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Des Moines
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Des Moines
Woodmont Country Club
DirectionsPlus 6 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Des Moines
Saltwater State Park CampgroundFee · In Saltwater State Park · Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
DirectionsTrails & water
15 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.3 mi
Barnes Creek Nature Trail0.9 mi
South Rim Trail0.8 mi
North Rim Trail0.4 mi
Interpretive Trail0.3 mi
K0.1 mi
J0.1 mi
L0.1 mi
I0.1 mi
D0.1 mi
M0.1 mi
5 more trails
H
0.1 miG
0.1 miF
0.1 miE
0.1 miN
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
14Tennis
13Basketball
12Baseball
6Soccer
3Pickleball
2Beach volleyball
1Football
1Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Des Moines: 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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 15.6 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.2 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 50 | 54 | 59 | 66 | 70 | 77 | 77 | 71 | 60 | 52 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 5.7 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 6.3 | 5.7 |
July is the driest month (0.7 in) and August the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 6.3 inches fall in November, the wettest month. The climate in Des Moines →
Next door
Des Moines and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 12% | 1.9 | 11 | 99% | A |
| Federal Way | 7% | 1.3 | 11 | 97% | A− |
| Kent | 7% | 1.2 | 13 | 99%+ | A |
| SeaTac | 5% | 2.5 | 12 | 77% | A− |
| Normandy Park | 6% | 2.0 | 15 | 97% | A |
| Burien | 5% | 1.1 | 8 | 97% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Des Moines
Where can I hike in Des Moines?
The longest trail networks: Saltwater State Park, 2.1 miles; Steven J. Underwood Memorial Park, 0.7 miles; Wooton Park, 0.3 miles; Field House Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Des Moines is conserved land?
12% 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 Des Moines’ trails?
Saltwater State Park and Steven J. Underwood Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Des Moines?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.0 of painted or protected lanes and 1.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Des Moines?
16,794 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Des Moines or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 455 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Des Moines have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #44 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 Des Moines 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 →