Fort Steilacoom Park
Managed by City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
411 acres13.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: ECTran71 · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Lakewood
Lakewood has 27 miles of mapped trails, 1.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Fort Steilacoom Park (13.9 mi), South Puget Sound Wildlife Area (0.9 mi), Seeley Lake Park (0.7 mi). 8% of Lakewood’s land is conserved, about 896 acres. 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #94 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
896 acres · of 17.1 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
663 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
19 mi
12 mi lanes · 2.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
11
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Lakewood?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lakewood have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lakewood is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #94 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 Lakewood’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical WA town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · WA 0.8 · U.S. 0.4APark land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (663 acres) · WA 11 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home88% 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 82%
LessMore
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 67%
Water is 10% of Lakewood’s area (2 of 19 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 8%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Fort Steilacoom Park, with 13.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
South Puget Sound Wildlife Area
Managed by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
71 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto South Puget Sound Wildlife AreaWebsite ↗
Seeley Lake Park
Managed by Pierce County
44 acres0.7 mi of trail
Seeley Lake Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Postal Workers ParkingWebsite ↗
Wards Lake Park
Managed by City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
17 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Harry Todd Park
Managed by City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
16 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Springbrook Park
Managed by City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 14 parks & preserves
Fort Steilacoom Park411 acres · 13.9 mi of trail · City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
DirectionsSouth Puget Sound Wildlife Area71 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
DirectionsSeeley Lake Park44 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Pierce County
DirectionsWards Lake Park17 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
Harry Todd Park16 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
DirectionsSpringbrook Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
DirectionsLakewold Gardens9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWashington Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
Kiwanis Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
Active Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
American Lake Park6 acres · City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
DirectionsOakbrook Park2 acres · City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
Kobayashi Perserve1 acres
DirectionsEdgewater Park1 acres · City of Lakewood Parks and Recreation
Who protects it
896 conserved acres
8% of Lakewood’s land. Water is left out: Lakewood has 17.1 square miles of land and 1.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Lakewood’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city480 ac
County339 ac
State fish & wildlife168 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits10 ac
Joint7 ac
Not recorded1 ac
Local Park · 514 acLocal Other or Unknown · 305 acState Conservation Area · 87 acState Recreation Area · 81 acUnknown Easement · 17 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 17 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 23 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Steilacoom Park Local Park | Town or city | 393 | Open |
| Loth223 Local Other or Unknown | County | 288 | Unknown |
| Olympic-Willapa Hills-South Puget Sound Wildlife Area Complex State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 87 | Restricted |
| Fort Steilacoom Disc Golf Course State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 81 | Open |
| Seeley Lake Park Local Park | County | 45 | Open |
| Wards Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| American Lake South County Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Loth78 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Blueberry Farm Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| American Lake North County Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
58 places to go in Lakewood
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lakewood
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Lakewood
Fort Steilacoom PlaygroundIn Fort Steilacoom Park
DirectionsOakbrook PlaygroundIn Oakbrook Park
DirectionsThe Crossings Playground
Directions44 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Lakewood
Fort Steilacoom Dog ParkIn Fort Steilacoom Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Lakewood
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Lakewood
3 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Lakewood
OverlookIn Lakewold Gardens
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Lakewood
Picnic PointIn Lakewold Gardens
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Lakewood
Fort Steilacoom Disc Golf Course
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Lakewood
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.5 miHorses · 1.0 miUnpaved · 13.3 mi
Chambers Creek Canyon Trail1.4 mi
Seeley Lake Trail1.0 mi
100th Street Southwest0.2 mi
Biking & sports
19 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
12 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.3 mi
off-road bike paths
5.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
35Tennis
19Baseball
11Basketball
8Pickleball
4Football
3Soccer
2Skate park
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 9 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Fort SteilacoomDistrict · listed 1977
About itBoatman-Ainsworth HoseBuilding · listed 1982
About itThornewoodBuilding · listed 1982
About itRhodesleighBuilding · listed 1983
About itCuster SchoolBuilding · listed 1987
About itAdjutant General's ResidenceBuilding · listed 1991
About itWoodbrook Hunt ClubBuilding · listed 1997
About itLakewoldSite · listed 2014
About itMunson, Herbert and Barbara HouseBuilding · listed 2019
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Lakewood: 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 | 13.5 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 50 | 54 | 59 | 66 | 70 | 77 | 77 | 71 | 60 | 51 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 6.1 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 4.3 | 6.6 | 6.2 |
July is the driest month (0.7 in) and August the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 6.6 inches fall in November, the wettest month. The climate in Lakewood →
Next door
Lakewood and its neighbors
Lakewood has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Tacoma84 miLakewood27 miUniversity Place11 miParkland5.5 miSteilacoom4.3 miMcChord AFB0.4 miNorth Fort Lewis0.4 miFort Lewis0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood | 8% | 1.6 | 11 | 88% | A− |
| University Place | 16% | 1.3 | 15 | 98% | A |
| McChord AFB | 3% | 0.1 | 7 | 94% | B− |
| Tacoma | 8% | 1.7 | 12 | 99% | A |
| Fort Lewis | under 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 78% | D |
| North Fort Lewis | under 1% | 0.1 | 4 | 99%+ | C |
| Parkland | 5% | 0.6 | 3 | 91% | B |
| Steilacoom | 8% | 2.1 | 16 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lakewood
Where can I hike in Lakewood?
The longest trail networks: Fort Steilacoom Park, 13.9 miles; South Puget Sound Wildlife Area, 0.9 miles; Seeley Lake Park, 0.7 miles; Wards Lake Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lakewood 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 Lakewood’s trails?
Fort Steilacoom Park and South Puget Sound Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lakewood?
19 miles of bike routes are on the map: 12 of painted or protected lanes, 2.3 of off-road paths and 5.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Lakewood?
9,106 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lakewood or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 663 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lakewood have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #94 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 Lakewood 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 →