Parks and recreation in Olympia, Washington, which includes recreational sites and trails, is overseen by the Olympia Parks, Arts & Recreation Department. Additional parks and trails within or near the city are managed under Thurston County oversight or by various Washington state agencies.
The first official public use site in the city began in 1850 and became known as Sylvester Park. Continued growth, especially in the 21st century, has allowed the city of Olympia, , to amass a collection or oversight of 57 parks encompassing more than .
History and management Parks and recreation areas in the city of Olympia is overseen by the Olympia Parks, Arts & Recreation Department (OPARD). The first official park began as a land donation to the city, eventually becoming Sylvester Park, with a further purchase of a land claim in 1906 for Priest Point Park.
By 2001, the city was reported to have 21 parks encompassing . During a two-year period ending in 2007, the department spent $9.8 million to acquire an additional split between eight park sites; the funds were provided by a temporary 3% utility tax. Several acquisitions increased the total land holdings to in 2021. The city's public works department transferred four parcels to OPARD in September 2021. The ceded properties included Black Lake Meadows, the Taylor Wetlands, and the stormwater collection areas of Indian Creek and Yauger Park. Part of the transfer also included the Kaiser Wood, LBA Woods, and West Bay Woods open space reserves.
In 2019, OPARD implemented non-pesticide management practices and disallowed the use of Roundup.
, the agency manages 57 parks, provides educational classes and programs, and collaborates with artists and communities to install public artworks in the city. The city contains of trails, a dozen athletic fields and 25 sports courts, and twelve playgrounds. Over 130 community gardens and individual public artworks are extent in Olympia. Seasonal brochures issued by the parks department in 2025 generated over 10,000 volunteer registrations and funding for scholarships for its recreation programs was listed at over $17,000.
Two parks and the Olympia Armory were renamed in January 2026 after residents of note in the Olympia community. The Olympia City Council approved the armory to be renamed the Daley Arts Center after a 1980s Olympia mayor and prominent supporter of the building, Bill Daley. Kaiser Woods was renamed Marj Yung Park. In the 1970s, Marjorie Yung was the first female Thurston County commissioner, helped to create Burfoot Park, and published a book about the plant life of Ken Lake which is situated near the renamed recreation site. Yelm Highway Park, to be developed in 2026, was renamed to the Jolene Unsoeld Community Park. Unsoeld was a state and federal legislator in Washington state representing the Olympia district.
List of parks in Olympia, Washington Unless otherwise noted, information about the following Olympia parks, such as acreage, addresses, and establishment dates, is provided by the Olympia Parks, Arts & Recreation Department.
Neighborhood parks Olympia classifies small parks, usually containing playground areas and open spaces, as neighborhood parks. The recreation sites can contain additional amenities such as picnic areas and public art, or other recreational opportunities such as athletic courts and trails.
Name ImageEstablished Location Size Description8th Avenue Neighborhood Park20073102 8th Avenue NEPurchased by the city for $580,000, the grounds were originally the site of a horse stable.Bigelow Park19431220 Bigelow Ave NEPicnic, playground, and recreation park named after an early settler family in Olympia. The grounds contain a public artwork space known as the Stone Amphitheater.Burri Park20072415 Burbank Ave NWNeighborhood park featuring a small trail and recreation and playground areas. The site was named after a Jim Burri, long-serving supporter of parks in Olympia.Decatur Woods Park20041015 Decatur St SWOnce an apple orchard, the neighborhood site includes playgrounds, picnic amenities, and public art. A looped trail courses through a stand of Douglas fir. Developed into a park after the plot was first acquired from the school district in 1989 in exchange for a parcel used to expand Garfield Elementary.Evergreen Park20071445 Evergreen Park Dr SWPurchased by the city for $74,000, the park is located near the Thurston County Courthouse.Harry Fain's Legion Park19871115 20th Ave SEAcross from Watershed Park, features include a playground and nature trails in a wooded area. Gifted by its namesake to the city in 1933. Fain was a known womanizer who was killed by his wife in 1937. The park honors his days as a World War I submariner.Kettle View Park20111250 Eagle Bend Dr SENamed after glacial kettles that surround the area, features in the park include a large open space, playground, tennis court, and a short loop trail. The site was originally known as Henderson Road Park, a joint city and subdivision recreation area purchase in 2007.Lions Park1946800 Wilson St SEBegun by a combined effort of Olympia's Eastside neighborhood and a local Lions Club, park features include basketball, horseshoe, and tennis courts, picnic and playground areas, and a spray park.Margaret McKenny Park20093111 21st Ave SESite was purchased by the city in 1999 and dedicated ten years later to Margaret McKenny, a published naturalist. McKenny was a founder of Citizens for the Future, a local group that helped to save Watershed Park. Features include a basketball court, looped trail, and a playground.McGrath Woods Park20092300 Cain Rd SELocated in Southeast Olympia, the park contains an open meadow and a looped trail.Sunrise Park1995505 Bing St NWFirst community garden within an Olympia Park, the site contains a sledding hill as well as playgrounds and a basketball court. The park began under a joint cooperation of the local community and a neighborhood association in 1991. Dedicated in 1995. The site was noted for containing the first dog park in Thurston County. Opened in 2010, it was shuttered in 2013 due to complaints over noise, parking, and animal waste.Woodruff Park18921500 Harrison Ave NWNamed after Sam Woodruff, early Olympian developer, who sold the land to the city for $1 in 1892. Features several athletic courts, a playground, picnic shelters, and a sprayground, the first such in the city.
Additional neighborhood parks, which may be undeveloped, include the 18th Avenue and Lilly Road parcels and Olympia Park.
Community parks Community parks in the city are considered to serve as larger recreational venues for a wider range of activities as well as increased numbers of the local population. Sites usually include athletic courts and fields, but can also be associated with community gardens or waterfront areas.
Name ImageEstablished Location Size DescriptionEast Bay Viewpoint20051050 East Bay Dr NEScenic viewpoint and beach site.East Bay Waterfront1994313 East Bay Drive NEAlso known as East Bay Public Plaza, it was officially opened in 2012. Situated in front of the Hands On Children's Museum, the park contains a reclaimed waterway, public art, play areas, and picnic amenities with waterfront views of Budd Inlet and the Olympic Mountains.Isthmus Park2018529 4th Ave WOnce the site of county government buildings, the structures were razed in 2015. Park contains "Oly on Ice", the city's ice skating rink, and a pump track.Madison Scenic Park19891600 10th Ave SEHillside residential park created in partnership with the Eastside Neighborhood Association and the city. Picnic and walking path grounds that overlook the city. The city acquired the park from the school district by 2007.Park of the Seven Oars1993, 2001Olympic WayA pocket park featuring several artworks created by local artists, including a sculpture of -tall oars. The connection of the lives of indigenous people, the city's maritime history, and early settlers in the area are symbolized in the artworks, which includes specifically designed benches and mosaics. Originally a smaller park built in 1993, it was relocated in 2001 due to an infrastructure repair project in the aftermath of the 2001 Nisqually earthquake. The park oversees Budd Inlet, the Capitol campus, and the Olympia downtown core. Features a plaza and elements from the city's original Fourth Avenue Bridge.Percival Landing Park1978405 Columbia St NWThe park is named after a commercial steamship wharf first constructed by Sam Percival in 1860. Completed in three phases between 1978 and 1988, the park is located in Downtown Olympia. Percival Landing features a boardwalk paralleling the Budd Bay shoreline. Noted for its public art displays, the park contains several picnic and play areas, and the Harbor House, a city-owned building that can be rented for various uses. The annual Olympia Harbor Days festival is centered around the landing; the site is home to the historic Sand Man tugboat.Rebecca Howard Park2021911 Adams St SEAn in-development downtown park named after Rebecca G. Howard, an African-American businesswoman and community leader who owned a popular and respected hotel in Olympia during the mid-19th century. The parcel, located behind the Olympia Timberland Regional Library, was purchased by the city in 2018 and contains a remodeled "eco-building" home originally constructed in 1931.Yashiro Japanese Garden19901010 Plum St SECreated by the Olympia-Yashiro Sister City Association, the Japanese-styled garden features public art, an -tall granite pagoda, a sculpted garden and landscape with koi pond, and symbolic features between the two cities. The town of Yashiro donated several items, including stone lanterns and cedar entrance gates constructed without the use of nails. The gardens were part of a land sale to the Squaxin Indian Tribe in 2025; the site is planned to be razed for future development necessitating a relocation.
Heritage Park is also listed under the classification.
Open space parks Open spaces in Olympia are usually bereft of improvements or amenities such as athletic fields or playgrounds. The habitats, outside of bathrooms, parking, or trails, are often left in their natural state. Such spaces may include a variety of aquatic ecosystems, such as creeks, marine shorelines, rivers, or wetlands, as well as forest or prairie habitats.