King County Parks - Your Big Backyard

Directions Website

King County Parks - Your Big Backyard 👋 We're King County Parks in beautiful WA state 🏞️ Your Big Backyard

Tag us in your park adventure

King County Parks stewards 200 parks, 175 miles of regional trails and 28,000 acres of open space, including such regional treasures as Marymoor Park, Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, and the world-class Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center. By cultivating strong relationships with non-profit, corporate and community partners, King County Parks provides recreational opportunities for King County residents and protects our region's public lands, leaving a legacy for future generations.

Join us for a volunteer event! Saturday, October 17 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at White Center Heights Park, 10208 7th Ave SW...
10/13/2026

Join us for a volunteer event! Saturday, October 17 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at White Center Heights Park, 10208 7th Ave SW.

Register: https://parksvolunteer.kingcounty.gov/opportunities/XxfaPKCOO9

Come volunteer with King County Executive Girmay Zahilay at the King County Volunteer Program’s inaugural Regional Day of Service. On Saturday, October 17th, we’ll be bringing volunteers to Duwamish Alive! -- a biannual event hosted by the Duwamish Alive Coalition for the last 20 years to improve the health of the Duwamish watershed through collaborative stewardship and volunteering.

The Executive and Duwamish Alive leadership will kick off the event at the White Center Heights Park, hosted by King County Parks. Then we’ll be planting native trees, removing blackberry and ivy, and spreading mulch. Come volunteer alongside the Executive and learn more about how your work protects not only the Duwamish River ecosystem, but our community at large.

10/09/2026

Summer’s over but park and trail season is just beginning! Hear some of our employees’ favorite fall spots for your next Big Backyard adventure!
⁣
Will you check out the foliage on Cougar Mountain, get your salmon sightseeing in at Tolt-MacDonald, or take a relaxing stroll through White Center Heights?
⁣
Addresses for the spots are below or use our Backyard FunFinder tool (link in bio) to find your new favorite park or trail!
⁣
Snoqualmie Valley Trail (Tokul Trestle) - Tokul Rd SE & SE 60th St., Snoqualmie

Grand Ridge Park - Multiple trailheads, take I-90 east and get off at exit 20 for the east fork trailhead

White Center Heights - SW 102nd St & 7th Ave SW, White Center

Cougar Mountain - Multiple trailheads, Jim Whittaker Wilderness Peak Trailhead off SR-900/Renton-Issaquah Rd

Soos Creek Trail - SE 192nd Street & 124th Ave SE, Kent

Tolt-MacDonald - 31020 NE 40th St, Carnation

Maury Island Marine Park - SW 244th St, Vashon/Maury

It’s salmon SEEson! 👀🐟Salmon are returning home to spawn in King County rivers and streams. Now is the perfect time for ...
10/08/2026

It’s salmon SEEson! 👀🐟

Salmon are returning home to spawn in King County rivers and streams. Now is the perfect time for families and kids of all ages to learn about salmon and witness their incredible journey. We’ve rounded up the best locations for salmon viewing, including guided opportunities with volunteer naturalists (check out the Tolt-MacDonald Park suspension bridge on October 17 and November 7!)

Get the map of the best places to see the salmon: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/779f2239705a42fba71f198d958da479/

Been a busy summer at the Wilburton Trestle!Construction crews have been hard at work strengthening the wooden structure...
09/28/2026

Been a busy summer at the Wilburton Trestle!

Construction crews have been hard at work strengthening the wooden structure, removing the railroad track, and preparing the concrete sections that will be the base of this new trail segment.

The new concrete pads installed at the south side of the bridge give a nice preview of the incredible views you'll get as you walk, run, or roll across in the summer of 2027. Don't worry, we'll install railings before then!

Pocket parks are small but mighty! 💪 Originating in the rebuilding of post-World War II Europe, these bite-sized spaces ...
09/24/2026

Pocket parks are small but mighty! 💪

Originating in the rebuilding of post-World War II Europe, these bite-sized spaces are intentionally designed to provide pockets of rest and recreation to residents of densely populated urban environments. They can serve many different purposes and often reflect the communities that use them.

King County has two small neighborhood parks that qualify as pocket parks: Olive Taylor Quigley Park in Fall City and Black Panther Park in Skyway.

There's so much to say about these wonderful little parks, we wrote a whole blog post about them! Learn facts big and small at https://kingcountyparks.org/2026/09/22/pocket-parks-big-things-come-in-small-packages/

Join us to celebrate the purchase of Skyway Park Bowl as the future home of Skyway’s community center! 🎳 Skyway Park Bow...
09/17/2026

Join us to celebrate the purchase of Skyway Park Bowl as the future home of Skyway’s community center! 🎳

Skyway Park Bowl Community Celebration 🎉
Oct 10, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Skyway Rec Aide Program @ Dimmitt Middle School
12400 80th Ave S Seattle, WA 98178
FREE + open to all!

Enjoy youth activities, free food from Salima Specialties, music by DJ MouseWayne, and share your Skyway Park Bowl memories. Plus, check out early design ideas for Skyway’s future community center!

Bring your friends and help shape Skyway’s future! RSVP by Oct 5: bit.ly/skyway-bowl-celebration

09/14/2026

Belmondo Reach Natural Area is a hidden gem along the Cedar River. Whether you visit in person or online, we hope it brings a little peace to your day. ☺️

Video description:

Different video shots of a river bank with trees, tall grasses, and bright blue skies. The text welcomes you to a digital resting place where you can relax and enjoy the scenery.

09/01/2026

As we wrap up August in the Big Backyard, we celebrated one more summer event at the Fairwood 60th Celebration at Petrovitsky Park!

Thanks to everyone that came out to make it a day to remember!🥳

🎉 Fairwood, it’s time to celebrate! 🎉Join us for the 6th Annual Fairwood Celebration at Petrovitsky Park on Friday, Augu...
08/26/2026

🎉 Fairwood, it’s time to celebrate! 🎉

Join us for the 6th Annual Fairwood Celebration at Petrovitsky Park on Friday, August 29 for a FREE day of fun for the whole community! 🌳

🏃 9:30 a.m. – Community Fun Run
🎪 10 a.m. – Family-friendly activities, vendors & food trucks
🎶 12 p.m. – Live music and more activities
🎬 8:30 p.m. – Big Backyard Movie: Zootopia 2

Come spend the day connecting with neighbors, enjoying the park, supporting local vendors, and celebrating what makes the Fairwood community so special.

📍 Petrovitsky Park
🎟️ FREE community event
📅 August 29

Learn more on our website at https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/local-services/governance-leadership/local-government-for-unincorporated-king-county/community-service-areas/fairwood-60th-anniversary

We learned so much at CHOMP!Community organizations and sustainability experts of all kinds were there sharing their kno...
08/25/2026

We learned so much at CHOMP!

Community organizations and sustainability experts of all kinds were there sharing their knowledge. Here's a few tips we thought worth sharing!

Have a sustainability tip of your own? Let us know down in the comments!

Address

King County Parks World Headquarters
Seattle, WA
98104

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when King County Parks - Your Big Backyard posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share