Formerly a private resort — a quarter would get you in for a day — this 16-acre property became a public park when it was purchased by King County in the mid-1960’s. It was transferred to Sammamish when the city was incorporated. Recently renovated, the park offers a basketball court, a ball field, a fishing dock, playgrounds and a swimming beach (lifeguards are on duty in the summer). There are several picnic shelters, which may be reserved. Trails cut through the property and skirt the perimeter, taking you through woods and across a wetland.
The park is the site of numerous community events including free summer concerts.
To get there: From Sammamish City Hall, head south on 228th to SE 24th. The park entrance will on your right, just past the traffic light. There is a large parking lot inside the park which can fill up during events.
Sammamish Walks Event at Pine Lake Park
On one of our early walks, Nan Gordon, a member of the Sammamish Heritage Society led us on a history walk through Pine Lake Park. Our tour cut through the woods, across the boardwalk, and around the ballfield. At the end, we gathered around Alvin “Mick” Macko and his wife, Betty, former Pine Lake Resort operators, to hear about the days when the park was a private resort, catering to Seattleites who would escape to the plateau for lakeside fun, including fishing, swimming, rowing, dancing and sleeping in rustic cabins that rented for as little as $11 a week.
Steve Thues, a local history buff, was also on hand to explain the geologic origins of the lake, as well as a history that included intense logging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and a devastating 1939 fire that swept over 35 square miles on and east of the plateau. The fire came close to the shores of Pine Lake, but, luckily, the resort was spared.
Protecting Our Environment • Enriching Our Community 