Puget Sound · Washington
Parks & Recreation in Kenmore: Trails, Facilities & Outdoor Life (2026)
Most people picture a quiet lakeside suburb when they think of Kenmore — maybe a park with some swings and a picnic table. What they don't expect is a city where the Burke-Gilman Trail runs straight through the waterfront, a 326-acre state park sits inside city limits, and you can launch a kayak from three different public access points within a mile of each other. For a city of 24,260 people, the outdoor infrastructure is genuinely impressive.
What shapes Kenmore's parks landscape is water. The city sits at the northern tip of Lake Washington, along the Sammamish River, and borders terrain that transitions quickly from manicured shoreline to old-growth forest. That geography means the park system skews heavily toward waterfront access and trail connectivity rather than the sports-complex model you see in neighboring Bothell or Kirkland.
This guide covers the specific parks, trails, and facilities that matter most to people actually considering a move here — which parks are worth prioritizing, what the Burke-Gilman Trail access looks like day-to-day, where families and retirees spend their weekends, and what's genuinely missing from the system.
| Park | Highlights | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Log Boom Park (Tracy Owen Station) | Sandy beach, Lake Washington shoreline, Burke-Gilman access, seaplane watching | Families, cyclists, casual waterfront days |
| Saint Edward State Park | 326 acres, old-growth forest, miles of trails, lake access, seminary hotel | Hikers, trail runners, birders |
| Rhododendron Community Park | Sammamish River shoreline, boardwalk, rowing shell house, senior center | Rowers, dog walkers, community gatherings |
| ƛ̕ax̌ʷadis Park (formerly Squire's Landing) | Boat launch, floating dock, kayak launch, cultural landmark | Paddlers, families, history seekers |
| Wallace Swamp Creek Park | 25-acre passive natural area, wetlands, wooded buffer | Nature walks, quiet reflection |
| Northshore Summit Park | 3.6 acres, walking trails, two play areas, wetlands | Neighborhood families, young children |
| Jack V. Crawford Skate Court | 5,200 sq. ft. concrete skate park behind City Hall | Skaters, teens |
| Moorlands Athletic Field | Youth sports use, two seasons per year | Youth baseball, soccer leagues |
| Linwood Park | Maintained neighborhood park | Local residents, casual use |
| Twin Springs Park | 25-acre natural area, newly opened passive use | Nature walkers, off-leash explorers |
Location: Northeastern shoreline of Lake Washington, at the foot of 68th Avenue NE at NE 175th Street, Kenmore
Log Boom Park — officially renamed Tracy Owen Station in honor of the late King County Councilmember — packs an extraordinary amount of waterfront access into 3.9 acres, with over 1,200 lineal feet of Lake Washington shoreline, a sandy beach, hand-powered watercraft launch, picnic shelter, playground, daytime moorage, and an ADA-accessible promenade along the Kenmore History Path. The Burke-Gilman Trail passes directly through the park, making it the natural social hub where cyclists, walkers, and paddlers all converge on the same stretch of waterfront. The insider tip: position yourself near the boat rental building on a clear afternoon and you'll have a front-row view of Kenmore Air's floatplanes banking low over the lake — one of those specific local experiences you genuinely can't find anywhere else.
Best for: Families, Burke-Gilman cyclists, kayakers, and anyone who wants Lake Washington access without driving to Seattle.
Location: 14445 Juanita Dr NE, Kenmore, WA 98028
At 326 acres, Saint Edward is by far the largest green space in Kenmore's orbit — a Washington State Park that straddles the Kenmore-Kirkland border and delivers 3,000 feet of freshwater Lake Washington shoreline, miles of forested singletrack, and the stunning former seminary building that now operates as a destination hotel and event venue. The trail network ranges from family-friendly loop walks through old-growth Douglas fir to technical mountain bike descents with log obstacles and tight switchbacks, meaning the park functions as both a casual picnic destination and a serious outdoor recreation resource. Weekday mornings here feel genuinely remote; weekend afternoons draw hikers from across the Eastside, so arriving before 9 a.m. is the local consensus move.
Best for: Hikers, trail runners, mountain bikers, wedding guests, and buyers who want state-park access as a literal commute to their backyard.
Location: 6910 NE 170th Street, Kenmore, WA
Rhododendron is Kenmore's most multipurpose community park — 12.5 acres along 600 feet of Sammamish River shoreline, with a 2.6-acre wetland, a large open lawn, picnic shelter, playground, and a new boardwalk connecting the park to the Kenmore Boat Launch and its floating dock for hand-powered watercraft. The 2,800-square-foot Kenmore Boathouse at the park's northern end hosts the community rowing shell, making this a genuine hub for paddling culture on the Sammamish River. The Kenmore Senior Center operates from this park as well, offering health clinics, clubs, and programming through the Northshore Senior Center network — a detail that matters significantly for residents planning to age in place here.
Best for: Paddlers, rowers, seniors, and families who want open lawn space with a natural buffer from the street.
Location: 7515 NE 175th Street, Kenmore, WA 98028
Renamed in 2021 to honor the Coast Salish Lushootseed village that once occupied this shoreline — the name translates to "a place where something is grown or sprouts" — this park was completed in 2022 as part of Kenmore's voter-approved Walkways & Waterways bond. The facilities include a boat launch, floating dock, boardwalks, kayak launch rope assists, picnic pavilion, and expanded parking designed to handle both daily visitors and community events. The Kenmore Waterfront Activities Center (KWAC) operates from this site, making it the primary hub for organized paddling programs on the north end of Lake Washington.
Best for: Kayakers, stand-up paddleboarders, community event attendees, and paddling program participants.
Location: Adjacent to Kenmore Elementary School, between 68th Ave. NE and 73rd Ave. NE
Wallace Swamp Creek Park's roughly 25 acres function as a natural buffer and passive greenway rather than a programmed recreation facility — there are no sports fields, no playgrounds, no restrooms. What it offers instead is a genuine wetland and wooded corridor along Swamp Creek, connecting the neighborhood fabric west of 73rd to Kenmore Elementary School's campus. For buyers in the Swamp Creek and Central Kenmore neighborhoods, this is the park that shapes daily life: dog walks, after-school nature exploration, and the kind of quiet green space that keeps a suburban neighborhood from feeling fully paved over.
Best for: Dog walkers, nature-curious kids, and buyers who want undeveloped green space within walking distance.
The Burke-Gilman Trail's reputation is well-earned, and Kenmore sits in one of its best stretches. The trail runs more than 20 miles total — from Shilshole Bay in Seattle all the way to Bothell, where it connects with the Sammamish River Trail — and Kenmore's waterfront segment along Lake Washington is consistently cited as one of the most scenic. The surface is fully paved and off-road for its entire length through Kenmore, making it a genuine commuter route to the University of Washington as much as a recreational corridor.
Log Boom Park is the primary Kenmore access point, but the trail passes through several shoreline segments before heading north toward Bothell and Wayne Golf Course. Heading east from Bothell, the trail transitions to the Sammamish River Trail, which continues uninterrupted down the east side of Lake Washington into Redmond — meaning a motivated cyclist can cover serious regional distance from Kenmore without touching a road. For trail runners, the Tolt Pipeline Trail connects eastward from the Burke-Gilman terminus, following a 12-mile corridor through wildflower meadows and berry patches toward the Cascades foothills.
Kenmore's primary aquatic facility is the Kenmore Waterfront Activities Center (KWAC), located at ƛ̕ax̌ʷadis Park at 7515 NE 175th Street. The KWAC focuses on paddling and waterfront programming rather than lap swimming — it's the organized entry point for kayaking, canoeing, and stand-up paddleboarding on Lake Washington's north end.
For traditional pool and fitness programming, Kenmore residents most commonly use facilities through the Northshore Parks & Recreation district, which operates the Northshore Pool in nearby Bothell. The Kenmore Senior Center at Rhododendron Community Park provides fitness classes, health clinics, and wellness programming specifically for older residents through the Northshore Senior Center network. The Jack V. Crawford Skate Court behind City Hall, at 18120 68th Ave NE, rounds out the active recreation infrastructure — a 5,200-square-foot concrete park built with direct community input and opened in 2015.
Kenmore's park access genuinely moves the needle on home values here. Properties near the Burke-Gilman Trail corridor in Inglewood and Northlake Terrace tend to attract serious buyers quickly — we're often talking multiple offers within days, not weeks. Homes in Moorlands with easy reach to Saint Edward State Park carry similar demand. If you're hoping to find something under $750,000 in these pockets, you need to be ready to move, because motivated buyers are already watching those listings.
That's exactly why I encourage people to sit down with a lender before they ever schedule a showing. Your pre-approval number is just one piece of the picture — your actual monthly obligation includes property taxes, homeowner's insurance, any HOA dues, and how your loan is structured. Those layers add up, and the home that feels affordable on paper can look different once everything is factored in. Finding a payment that fits your life comfortably, not just technically qualifies, puts you in a much stronger position when the right property in a neighborhood like Uplake or Northshore Summit comes available.
| Destination | Distance | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| O. O. Denny Park (Kirkland) | ~3 miles | King County waterfront park, Lake Washington beach, swimming |
| Sammamish River Trail → Redmond | ~8 miles south | Flat paved trail, wine country connections, Marymoor Park |
| Bridle Trails State Park (Kirkland) | ~8 miles | 482 acres, equestrian trails, mountain biking |
| Tolt-MacDonald Park (Carnation) | ~20 miles | Rappelling, camping, river confluence, suspension bridge |
| Tiger Mountain State Forest | ~22 miles | 13,000 acres, serious hiking, mountain biking, paragliding |
| Lord Hill Regional Park (Snohomish County) | ~18 miles | 1,300 acres, equestrian trails, creeks |
| Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park | ~20 miles | 3,100 acres, coal mine history trails, old-growth forest |
Local Expert Takeaway: The most underrated outdoor asset in Kenmore is the combination of Saint Edward State Park and the Burke-Gilman Trail running through the same city. Buyers focused on the Inglewood and Arrowhead neighborhoods should specifically map how close their target home sits to the Juanita Drive entry to Saint Edward — that proximity has real resale value and daily life quality that doesn't always show up in the listing description. If I were buying in Kenmore today, that trail access would be a non-negotiable filter.
Are there good waterfront parks in Kenmore?
Kenmore has three distinct waterfront access points for residents: Log Boom Park on Lake Washington, ƛ̕ax̌ʷadis Park on the Sammamish River, and Rhododendron Community Park along the Sammamish River's northern bank. Each offers hand-powered watercraft launches, and the Kenmore Waterfront Activities Center provides organized paddling programs for all ages.
Does Kenmore have easy Burke-Gilman Trail access?
The Burke-Gilman Trail passes directly through Kenmore's waterfront, with Log Boom Park as the primary trailhead. The trail connects westward toward the University of Washington and eastward to Bothell, where it joins the Sammamish River Trail continuing toward Redmond — making Kenmore one of the better access points on the entire 20-mile corridor.
Is Saint Edward State Park open year-round?
Saint Edward State Park is open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk, both summer and winter, making it a year-round resource for Kenmore residents. The trail network remains accessible through most Pacific Northwest winters, though the steeper singletrack sections can be muddy from November through March.
Explore the full Kenmore series: The Ultimate Kenmore Relocation Guide · Is Kenmore Safe? · Cost of Living in Kenmore · Best Neighborhoods in Kenmore · Kenmore Schools & Family Life · Kenmore Youth Sports · Kenmore Parks & Recreation · Retiring in Kenmore · 1031 Tax-Deferred Exchange in Kenmore · Kenmore First-Time Homebuyers Guide · Kenmore Down Payment Assistance Guide · Moving to Kenmore from California