Chambers Creek Regional Park
Park
378 acres3.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Atomic Taco from Seattle, WA, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in University Place
16% of University Place’s land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
11 miles of mapped trail cross University Place, 1.3 per square mile of land. 16% of University Place’s land is conserved, about 850 acres. The biggest trail networks: Chambers Creek Regional Park (3.5 mi), Paradise Pond Park (0.6 mi), Cirque Park (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #40 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Conserved land
16%
850 acres · of 8.3 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
536 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
32 mi
27 mi lanes · 4.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
3 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is University Place?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does University Place have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, University Place is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #40 of 285 in Washington. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of University Place’s overall grade.
Conserved land16% of the land · typical WA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · WA 0.8 · U.S. 0.4APark land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (536 acres) · WA 11 · U.S. 13BParks close to home98% 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 92%
LessMore
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 86%
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 Chambers Creek Regional Park, with 3.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Riconosciuto Park
Nature preserve
5 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Adriana Hess Wetland Park
Park
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 18 parks & preserves
Chambers Creek Regional Park378 acres · 3.5 mi of trail
DirectionsParadise Pond Park9 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCirque Park21 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsColgate Park11 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHomestead Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBristonwood Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsRiconosciuto Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Adriana Hess Wetland Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Meadow9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsKobayashi Perserve4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsColgate Playground Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsUniversity Place Veterans Plaza1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCreekSide Park29 acres
DirectionsCurran Apple Orchard8 acres
DirectionsLeach Creek Park6 acres
DirectionsBrookside3 acres
DirectionsSunset Terrace Park2 acres
DirectionsConservation Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
850 conserved acres
16% of University Place’s land. Who manages University Place’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County722 ac
Town or city105 ac
Other state land44 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits7 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 687 acLocal Park · 190 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 19 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loth223 Local Other or Unknown | County | 662 | Unknown |
| Chambers Creek Properties Local Park | County | 60 | Restricted |
| Cirque/ Bridgeport Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Loth184 Local Other or Unknown | Other state land | 22 | Unknown |
| Colegate Park Local Park | Other state land | 22 | Open |
| Leach Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Creekside Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Paradise Pond Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Curran Apple Orchard Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Chambers Crest Wildlife Habitat Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
59 places to go in University Place
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in University Place
South Beach
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in University Place
Park Ridge Playground
DirectionsPlayground By The SoundIn North Meadow
Directions46 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in University Place
Chambers Creek Dog ParkIn Chambers Creek Regional Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in University Place
8 scenic views without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.0 mi
Chambers Creek Canyon Trail0.9 mi
Tacoma Rifle Club Trail0.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
32 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
27 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
15Tennis
12Basketball
6Baseball
5Soccer
4Football
4Tracks
1Pickleball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Charles and Mary Louise Curran HouseBuilding · listed 2012
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in University Place: April 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 | 15.6 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.2 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 50 | 55 | 59 | 66 | 71 | 77 | 77 | 71 | 60 | 52 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 6.3 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 4.2 | 6.6 | 6.3 |
July is the driest month (0.6 in) and August the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 6.6 inches fall in November, the wettest month. The climate in University Place →
Next door
University Place 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Place | 16% | 1.3 | 15 | 98% | A |
| Lakewood | 8% | 1.6 | 11 | 88% | A− |
| Tacoma | 8% | 1.7 | 12 | 99% | A |
| Fircrest | 3% | 2.3 | 5 | 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 University Place
Where can I hike in University Place?
The longest trail networks: Chambers Creek Regional Park, 3.5 miles; Paradise Pond Park, 0.6 miles; Cirque Park, 0.5 miles; Colgate Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of University Place is conserved land?
16% 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 University Place’s trails?
Chambers Creek Regional Park and Paradise Pond Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in University Place?
32 miles of bike routes are on the map: 27 of painted or protected lanes and 4.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near University Place?
10,241 acres of parks and open public land lie inside University Place or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 536 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does University Place have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #40 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 University Place 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 →