It is amazing what they have done with this area! I remember it as mills that made the area smell terribly when I was young, and now it is a peaceful, artfully planned place. The water management plan is impressive. It is definitely a must to explore at least once!You can easily walk a couple miles by looping around on the trails. There is a good size parking area, and picnic tables by the parking lot (at Simpson Park, which is next to it). There are a couple porta potties here.While it is a peaceful, beautiful spot, Ive rated it a 3 due to the smells one might expect at a place such as this where water is being processed.

Access the engineered gardens by the .3 mile sidewalk winding along Cox Creek connecting from Waverly Lake Park or crossing over the 1 lane bridge to the unpaved parking lot shared with Simpson Park.Inside the gardens are several connecting trails to choose from making each visit a little different. The paths alternate between paved, gravel, or bark and could be more clearly marked but with each section between .1-.3 miles you can’t get lost for too long. Multiple waterfalls (talking water), wooden bridges, and green ponds full of wildlife throughout. In June we saw birds, ducks, turtles, butterflies, a rabbit, and a snake. Paths are wide enough to easily social distance with benches or boulders to sit on along the way. Not a lot of sun protection but there is typically a cross breeze offering partial relief on hot days. I can smell the treatment system in some areas but not others, if you’re familiar with farmland it shouldn’t bother you.Overall my favorite place in Albany for an afternoon stroll or listening to the birds.

Beautiful place. Especially this time of year!

Great walks, some areas have more odor smell, but overall enjoyable.

Loved this place! Most of its trails are wheelchair accessible without putting in concrete that would mess with the ecosystem there. Its a nice place to walk your dogs for a change of pace or just take a stroll.Im taking off a star because I saw a few pieces of garbage, not enough to think the park was trashy but there was some wrappers and a water bottle on the side of the trailBut overall a gorgeous little park!

Such a beautiful and peaceful bit of manufactured and functional wild... This is one of the best places to walk and talk or walk and ponder that I have found thats also so convenient. Great for Pokemon Go, too!

The trails are very well maintained. It’s a very leisurely stroll and it is more often than not that people are walking with their dogs. So you may take that into consideration if need be.

A beautiful scenic park in the middle of Albany. Well maintained park and painted rock memorial.

Beautiful walking paths year round and bonus leave a rock

Beautiful, quiet, and calming. Wide, easy to navigate trails. Enjoyed the views. Didnt walk all the paths but did cover most of the gardens.

I love this place when the foliage is trimmed and you can see the wildlife in the ponds. Today most of the ponds had zero visibility but it was still a nice walk

A Great place to walk and photograph wildlife throughout the year! The best part of that is the different types of wildlife that can be viewed at different times of the year...and in some cases viewing some of the wildlife depends on time of day.I have spotted Ospreys, Bald Eagles, White Egrets, Blue Herons, turtles, bullfrogs, otters, a mink, wild Turkey, and very recently, a fox. The Gardens themselves isnt a huge area, but it borders the Willamette River area along with the Dave Clark Trail.

Great area for a quick rest. Also great hiking, biking, walking as to pinics! Albany OR

Nice walking paths. Out in the open so bring your hat and sunglasses.

Great place to take a easy walk in flat paths and awesome that you can learn about how they use this area to clean up waste water. We also saw lots of ducks!

It was the perfect day for a walk around Talking Waters. So did everyone else think so too. Quite a lot of people. Parking was full and people parked blocking others in.

I must say, I dont think this park is a good idea. Its main purpose was to cool treated waste water from the city sewer. Why not do that the old fashioned way without spending millions. Further, allegedly this may not be cooling to the spec outlined. It also concerns me how safe it really is when I read the warning sign ... No Smoking, No Swimming, Keep on the trail... etc etc.

Good place to walk. Maybe even find a painted rock or two.

Its a good place to see the wonders of nature reclaimed from civilizations imprint.

Great place to walk and see various birds and animals

Great place full of trails , hiking and quiet! Love it. Easy access trails for everyone. Huge Labyrinth of trails, miles, lots to see and enjoy. Wildlife viewing area. Picnic tables available.Dont swim here though. Public restrooms. Please keep trails clean.Pack it in, please pack it out.

Beautiful ponds and scenery but SO smelly. It’s a functional space intended to purify the water, so I was expecting a smell, just not one that potent!

Easy walk. Beautiful man made cascades.

I think this is the best place in Albany to take dogs.There are gravel paths, bark dust trails, and wooded areas.By far my favorite place to walk in Albany.

Spectacular experience! It is a very beautiful and well-kept series of walking trails with absolutely gorgeous views everywhere you look. The paths are nice and clean, the views are spectacular, there are many benches to sit on, and there are informative signs scattered about informing you on the history of the land and how the park is a natural water filtration system for the Willamate river.

Beautiful. Great place to go on a walk with friends or your dog. If you are a fan of Pokemon Go, theres also 2 gyms at the parking lot and multiple pokestops. Lots of beautiful scenery and wildlife for nature photography as well.

Nice walk. But...stinks

Great place to do some walking and see lots of wildlife. Might even find a painted rock along the way.

It was so beautiful and tranquil.

Nice place. Lots of hiking trails

This was a nice way to spend an afternoon with the family. My granddaughter loved the painted rocks and plans to bring some new ones back next time!

Nice walk but unfortunately where the trail is supposed to loop around there was a ton of garbage and we had to turn around and go back the way we came.

Beautiful place set up to naturally clean waste water. More cities should do this.

Beautiful and well maintained walking paths.

I like walking and enjoying the nature and landscape of this place. If it’s a sunny day it can get really hot here because there’s no shade as protection.

Its a great little trail system for walking... And I think its an outstanding idea, to help with cleaning the water naturally. But there are a few areas out there that really give you an idea of where some of that water is sourced... It really stinks. And again... these are small areas around the hike that have this oder. I would recommend hiking early or later maybe early evening, to avoid the full sun and blistering heat. So... being what it is, I definitely give it 4 solid stars.

Pretty, simple, great for a simple walk and a picnic!

It looks like a nice place, but it kinda smells like sewage. The path was decent, for small gravel, and I did like reading the signs. Im glad the community is working with local business to create this. Im sure the local wildlife likes the heated water. I was impressed to not see any dog poop. Especially with how many people were walking their dogs.

Family friendly place.

One of the many splendors of Oregon, this place is amazing. Well maintained, clean and an absolute treasure. I highly recommend visiting.

Love Talking Water Gardens!!! Great paths, lots of nature, we love walking our dog there. Waterfalls, birds chirping right in the middle of the city. They even have several places along the trails with poop bags for free. You can go for a short walk, or take a nice long walk, whatever you feel like doing. All the trails are even, so even for those using a walker you could have a nice walk. Lots of places to sit too.

Right now it is quite, the water is low and a number of waterfalls are off. Still a great place to walk.

Beautiful park,perfect for a long walk or just to enjoy the peace and quiet!

I have been walking here since it opened to the public. I have had the pleasure of watching it evolve and the plant life grow. It is disappointing to come and have the water features turned off. But i still enjoy sitting and savoring the quiet anyways. Its a great way to escape town without having to leave town. There are 3 locations here for dog waste and garbage cans. Bathrooms are port-a-potties in the parking lot shared with Simpson Park.

Such a beautiful place ️

I visited this place in the middle of March. I was hoping to see turtles but did not see any. There were some water fowls and a nutria. On a Sunday the place was pretty packed. We were lucky to get a parking spot. Easy hike.

My go to place when Im in the mood for a quiet walk.Not much traffic here, clean, decent parking lot and a restroom, albeit a porta-john, it does the job.Ive walked every path here and enjoyed them all.Interesting fact; In 2010, the cities of Albany and Millersburg joined with metals manufacturer ATI to create an engineered water treatment wetland called Talking Water Gardens. Inspired by the environment, the wetland cells mimic the cleansing and cooling processes that occur in nature, returning treated water safely back to the Willamette River.

Super cool. Nice place for a walk.

Picturesque. Smells funky but if you know why it was designed and what purpose it serves its all good.

Peaceful and beautiful. Nice walk

Loved walking here. So peaceful. Loved the painted rock garden tributes. Can’t wait to go back.

It has some pretty spots and a nice educational piece but was not what I was expecting

I enjoy Talking Waters a great deal. There are a number of lovely waterfalls and winding, interconnected paths. Its a little hard to find, I think, but that just makes it all the more serene (not many people around most of the time)

Beautiful place to walk, enjoy nature, and see how nature is helping to keep the water clean

What an amazing place. The scenery is beautiful, walk peaceful, the science and reason for this facility....outstanding.

Pleasant scenery while walking a delightful set short trails. A great family experience as well as a wonderful place to stroll with your favorite friend. You will find yourself taking lots of pictures as well of flora, fauna and intricate water falls. My wife and I have been going there daily for a couple years and still havent tired of it.

Its a nice place to get some peace of mind

A great place to find nature, especially walking around with kids.

Very beautiful! I great place for anyone just beginning photography, best to visit in the summer when it’s sunny outside.

My family loves going here! It is a very nice little walk that children of all ages can enjoy. We like that there is different places you can walk to. We love looking at the water falls. The only downside is the amount of bugs in the air when you go in the summer evenings. Other than that I think its a wonderful place to take your kids and enjoy being outside!!

What a splendid area to take a walk. There are several trails, the one with the waterfalls is handicapped/power chair accessible. Lots of photo opportunities, wildflowers, listening to trains being hooked up in the background and the beautiful waterfalls.

Wow. Great park. Beautiful.

Talking waters gardens is an absolutely beautiful area to spend a sunny day. With over a mile of walking trails, there is much to explore! Initially designed as a water treatment facility for thermopollution from local sources, this place has transformed into a wonderful location for family outings, briding and nature viewing.

Its a nice place to walk around.

Love the park. Love finding painted rocks there. Its really a great park for dogs too.

Great place for wildlife and a walk for families.

Nice walk and very educational. Kids love to watch the wiife.

Lots of short interconnecting path loops offer lots of options to explore the many ponds and water features. Wide fine gravel paths. Lots of birds! Ducks close by. (Please dont feed them bread though.) A short path to the river also leaves from the same parking lot.

Very interesting views

The most Serenity you get in the Albany area

Beautiful, quite perfect spot to take pictures and a stroll

Love, Love, Love this place. A hidden gem. I spent my first 22 years of life in Albany and never knew of this place until in my 30s and a buddy of mine took me one day when I came to visit and we were bored. I was happy to bring my family back to show them this year. Our child found a painted Rock also. Very fun and beautiful nature scenes and sounds.

Lovely place for a walk. Lots of wild life to observe. Relaxing overall. Could use some more benches along the path for those who want to relax and observe or for those trying to get exercise but have to struggle at it. The dog loves coming here and exploring with us. Dog friendly. Do not allow dogs off leash here. Maybe bring some bug deterrant and wear sunscreen. Not a lot of shade, but some. Easy to forget you are in a city.

Love this place. Good walk. Grandkids like looking for painted rocks. We like seeing the turtles and frogs, and other wild life.

Beautiful scenery and native animals. Great place to go for a walk, with a dog, kids, or whatever. Nice paths. Well maintained. Highly recommend a visit here.

Such a lovely place to go for a walk. There is lots of wildlife and many interesting native plants. It’s great for birding and botanzing. I’ve seen great blue herons, red winged blackbirds, ducks and even turtles. If you want to get experience identifying wetland plants this is a great place to go because there is such a diversity of plants.It’s incredible to me that this wetland is man made because it just seems so natural!

Great place to go I often go there to think has a calming setting that helps melt the tension away at least for me

Nice place to walk around .

Nice place for a nature stroll in the city. Paths are kept nice and easy to walk on. People leave painted rocks to find which makes it fun for younger kids. Lots of ducks, some turtles and we saw a neutria. Once spring is in full force, i will definitely be going back.

We love this place, well maintained paths for the kids to enjoy and a variety of wildlife such as ducks, birds, beavers, crawdads, turtles, frogs, and giant tadpoles when the time is right. This is treated waste water from the city of Albany and ATI, the various levels and plants help cool and further filter the water so no water play! Wish there were a few more big trees for shade during the summer but it is a relatively new man-made wetland area.

A fun hike with a bunch of cub scouts. The water is temporarily low today (mid September) so the entrance was a but smelly, but it was fine back in the trails. The fall rain will take care of that.

For a water reclaims its fun

Great place for a scenic walk

Truly unique project for an engineered wetland. Partnership between industry and government, should be modeled elsewhere.

Nice walk, easy flat level trail, enough trails to get in a good long walk. Ducks, birds and other wildlife. Lots of green algae this time of year.

Nice place

Beautiful area to walk that is ever changing.

We love to talk around the ponds and see all the wild life

A peaceful, lovely place to take a walk and be surrounded by nature. I never knew the place used to be an industrial setting. Its fantastic how it has been converted into a wildlife area.

No trash hardly at all great job #keeporegongreen

Great place for exercise very peaceful

Havent went on the hike but its a peaceful retreat from town

Love to walk here and see the turtles sunning and the ducks.

Great dog walking paths

A great place for photo shoots.

This is one of my favorite places in albany too walk with

Its a good trail for the family. Lots of birds.

Great place to hike

Gorgeous

One of the jewels of Albany...about 55 acres of man-made wetlands, full of migratory and resident birds, otters, turtles, mink, and other assorted creatures. Be sure to look west into the large trees as there is almost always a bald eagle presiding over the area. I walk here at least two to three times a week....a very peaceful place.