Adventures in Nature: Saltwater State Park.

We hit our FIFTH state park of Winter/Spring 2026: Saltwater State Park in Des Moines, Washington (King County).

I am on a quest with my eight-year-old son Malachi to visit every Washington State Park in our three-county region of the Puget Sound.

There are 16 parks total spread out across the area covering King, Pierce and Thurston counties.

We are 5 for 16 and counting....

Saltwater State Park offers 137 acres of sand and forest land.

The view from the shore is quite pretty as it looks out onto Puget Sound, but it is also challenging to access the water via the beach front. With my son in tow, who is a wheelchair user, it was impassable. There was no accessible beach mat or pathway from the shore to the water over the sand.

(The lack of access is unfortunate, though also, not uncommon. Luckily, over the years, it seems more jurisdictions and land managers are installing accessible beach mats to support more inclusive enjoyment of the beach and water.)

Rather than dipping our toes in the Sound, we opted to explore the backside of the park, hiking through the seasonal campground area along the meandering McSorley Creek.

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State Park Visit 1:

Flaming Geyser State Park -- King County, near the city of Auburn, Washington, on January 9th, 2026. Read more about our visit HERE.

State Park Visit 2:

Federation Forest State Park -- King County, outside of Enumclaw, Washington, on January 14th, 2026. Read more about our visit HERE.

State Park Visit 3:

Dash Point State Park -- King County, in Federal Way, Washington, on January 26th, 2026. Read more about our visit HERE.

State Park Visit 4:

Nolte State Park -- King County, outside of Enumclaw, Washington, on February 4th, 2026. Read more about our visit HERE.