We were on a mini road trip and this was a nice park to let the kids get their wiggles out. They tried to skip stones but the river was moving a bit too fast. There were some spaced out picnic tables and big trees to keep them shaded. My only concern was that some areas the bank did just drop and since the river was moving so fast I had to keep a close eye on my kids to keep them away from those areas. I could also see parking getting a little tight.

Yes I rode here from the truck stop, great little get away, thank you guys,,,,

Pretty little park. Nice hiking trails.

Nice park on the river. Clean park with several picnic tables for enjoying a meal with your loved ones. Nice view. River often runs fast so watch the little ones.

Its pretty crowded most of the time so if youre looking for privacy, dont go here. The trail that leads towards the lake is awesome and has a lot of paths down towards the river. My dog loves exploring the area.Trails and well maintained.

Beautiful place to enjoy your day

Great place for everybody..limited parking...Yakima River flowing south...fishing boats drifting south...trees starting to turn...

Beautiful walking trail, great story boards for kids to read. Just please dont leave dog poo, theres a great bag station and trash at the trail head, yet lots of poo/full poo bags scattered along the trail.

Great place for family, or just to walk alone. Relaxing, clean.

Nice little spot. Boat launch, fire pits.Trails too!

It was nice easy for me to get close to river and set at table, be nicer w/ out fires....

Awesome Park! I live in Tacoma but we stopped here for the first time as we were out for a drive. Super clean park!

The park is so nice and a lot of space to play with the kids and even the dogs. Will definitely come back again

Nice place, 1 outhouse in need of cleaning parking is limited

Nice green grass a jungle gym for the kids basketball court in a Big Field tonight place Little Creek Running on the side of it

There were not many people there and the trails were empty making social distancing easy

Absolutely ADORE this park.Pros:Theres lots of fun little places to explore. The trails are well maintained and stretch out into a loop. Along the loop theres spots for ultimate frisbee. I havent seen anyone play yet, but its a nice option to have. Additionally, its right on the river and has lots of sandy, little alcoves for fun relaxation. Fishing here is a MUST. Theres a bbq pit, and plenty of areas to hang- out with a group. If you enjoy bird watching, this place is good for that. Lots of beauty to see out there on the trails.Bonus: Its dog & horse friendly. Theres an off-leash dog park a short trek from the main park. Definitely worth taking a look at for your furry friends.Cons: There is only one bathroom in the park. The other is a poorly-maintained port-a-potty. The off-leash dog area is a little small. Considering Ellensburg has a large population of herding/shepherding dogs that tend to be on the larger side, youd think itd be bigger to accommodate. Wish it also had access to the river so my pup could swim without breaking park rules. Also parking sucks. Like seriously. If you plan on visiting during peak hours, expect to have to park on the main road that has the speed limit listed at 50 mph.

Get there early if you want a place to park, aide from the parking its beautiful, great shade, great water access.

My family loves it here. I take my dog here often to walk in the trees and along the water. When the river is low, there are rock bars galore. A beautiful place to visit in every season. The trees provide a lot of shelter from the elements and its only crowded in the peak of summer.There are picnic tables, some sheltered.Tons of open grass area, good water access for swimming or launching rafts, etc. Great spot for bird viewing. Informational signs throughout the forest trail.Fire pits, too! Dont use the boat launch, its terrifying.

Small park right on the river for a nice peaceful getaway.

Very clean and super fun ..

Beautiful park in all seasons, easily accessible off of I-90. Fun for all ages with children and adult activities alike. Great in winter with less foot traffic, where intimate space can be carved out.

This place has to be my favorite spot in Ellensburg. There are so many things to do! Some popular thing in the water are canoeing, paddle boarding, fishing, and of course swimming. When the weather is warm I go to the lake almost every day and paddle board! Though I have never been fishing in Carrie Lake I almost always see a fisherman, so I assume it’s a good spot. Swimming is the most common activity there! Overall I would highly recommend this place for you!!

A great place to hangout with family or friends.

Nice place to take the kids for a swim.

Great place to relax on a summer day. A very clean and family friendly riverfront park. Theres a gazebo with seating perfect for parties and large groups. It’s spacious and grassy...perfect place for a summer picnic!!

Its a great place to walk by the river.

Nice small hike along a river

Great place for disc golf and a hike

Great trail along the Yakima river!!

Clean great place.

I have spent a lot of time here. So many childhood memories here. I loved it when it was Carey Lake and still love it now

Easy trail with beautiful scenery, it even comes with signs with a story on them for the kids to entertain them through the hike!

Fun place for a family. Serious bummer they close from November through March, have to walk or ride for the lake, dog run or disc golf. Dropped a star for that.

Great place to stop and go for a walk when travelling across Washington on I 90. A short drive from the Canyon exit. It has a tale trail that can entertain kids. Beau and I loved it.

One well designed park! The enclosed dog run is a plus (but on the other side). Great park for walking and enjoying the scenery. Plus river fishing access by foot.

Nice place to picnic and enjoy a large grassy area next to the waters edge. Also the trails available look inviting.

Beautiful easy walk along the river.

Have always loved this park but be aware there is a lot of theft. Had my car broken into.

Nice park with ample barbecue pits, river front for a swimming n boating or just fun! Few Food trucks to enjoy.... bring your family for a beautiful picture n picnic spot

Fun place for family and swimming.

Nice walking trail and was able to wade and fly fish. Good place to walk your dog. Part of the trail runs along the river

We stop here most any time we visit Ellenburg. This time we trekked partway to the dog park side, but gave up when we saw that the water isnt accessible from that side. It would have been nice to swim and enjoy the park with the dogs. Most other dog people we saw took the route we did and swam or played fetch with their dogs right off the walking path that divides the two bodies of water. That was fine because there is no mercy for those who allow their dogs to poop on the grass. Just. Dont.

Great dog park that includes a swimming area. Never crowded.

Beautiful park with water access.

Nice to cool off in hot days

Nice and peaceful

Really nice park!!! Not too many people, really calm barely any wind. People are pleasant and respectful highly recommend

Beautiful scenic trails bordering the Yakima River and numerous options of shore access to Carey Lake. The plant life and foliage here is stunning. Perfect spot for an evening stroll or a barbeque.

I like it took my dog on the trails and she loves it so much we go there all the time now

Got to visit a beautiful dog and his master!

Lovely little scenery! Will visit often!

Nice place.to sit outdoors or in your car to watch the river. There are picnic tables. Park is very clean. Nice serene setting.

Is connected to the rotary dog park if you interested in a nice long walk ..

We were looking for a nice place to get out and walk while visiting family in Ellensburg. This place was perfect.

Good area to get some nature.

Packed during the summer but beautiful.

Be security minded when you go, and make sure you keep your dog on a leash ($95 fine) and people will get in your face about it if you dont. An offleash dog attacked and killed an on leash dog a couple of years ago, so people are serious about this.Frisbee golf. Waterfront park, gazebos, running /walking trails, dog park at waters edge swimming...nature walk with story boards..Worth the visit!

A nice quaint park with a small pond fed by the Yakima River. Not very dog-friendly though. The dogs arent even allowed to walk in any of the grass areas, period. So, dog owners beware, not a pet-friendly park, although they do offer a dog park in a fenced area out in the middle of nowhere and aware from the park entirely. We were extremely disappointed from a 4-legged family members perspective.

We will always come back. Good place to being the kids.

Its kinda hidden but once u get there its worth it. It has enough volleyball nets, benches to eat on amd restrooms available on sight. The water area is big enough to go for swim or just play with kids in the area that isnt deep

Its a great open place to hang out with friends and family! From frisbee golf, to swimming, volleyball, and long walks around the lake, youll have plenty to do! Theres even a dog park (though its not great) if youre looking for something like that too!

Perfect place for a walk

Peaceful and beautiful place to walk the dog.

Nice park

Great family place

Great place to go on walks through the trails that loop around the lakes, and kids and our puppy love to go play all day long.

Decent park. Water is not very clean seeming for swimming but there is a lot of space for picnics and outdoor games!

Great place to hangout with family and friends. I love to go to the Peoples Pond/Carey Lake. They have fun walking trails and access to the Yakima River to dip your feet in!

Nice grassy areas , good swimming and covered picnic area with built in barbeque area

Think a beautiful little park with access to a pond and River, both with walking trails. A beautiful setting overall.

Great family time. Lots of activities to choose from.

Nice walk that leads to a dog park on the lake for the puppers. Well maintained.

Nice walking path. Off leash dog park with water access

Great place to hang out in the summer

This is a lovely, densly wooded park, which also has an all sizes (on the far side) lake-front, off-leash- dog park. several picnic areas, beach access, volleyball netpoles, and a 3 mile total circular walking trail path around said lake.The walking trail starts from the parking lot just before where Umptaneum Rd. Crosses the Yakima river. At the very entrance before the long driveway to the body of the park itself.The Yakima River runs alongside the south side of this park, in addition to the figure eight shaped, Lake Carrie itself, which is in the middle of the parks area. There is plenty of parking all along the middle area of the park,Across from the main picnic and beach area where the volleyball areas and the permanent style sani-cans.Here, in the middle area, is also thetrail that leads to the access underpass that goes beneath the I-90 freeway, this leads to Rotary park and there you see thatEllensburg has a very strong regard for Dog ownership. In addition to the lakefront propertyoff leash area of Irene Rhinehart, Rotary park has a large two-sized, two sided, off- leash dog park complete with concrete dog sculptures and watering fountains on each side for dogs and humans alike and double gated entry, so your dog wont slip away. There is a sani-can next to the dog park, for human use. Theres also a childrens playground, basketball courts, bicycle freestyling jump areas, which is within the fields of the park but about a block away (from dog park) which is also where the official toilets are located , much nearer to the several enclosed sports baseball arenas that have bleachers etc.

Played some disc an its quite lush there

Nice park for water fun and barbecues.

What a beautiful area and Sunday r.c. boat races!!!

We always have loved this natural outdoor space and trail system. The open green-space is great for letting the kids run free.

Very nice park

Nice peaceful place to take a break.

Irene! I love her! Great place to spend February afternoon. A bit chilly, but the sun showed up.. (40s)Turned out to be a good day for a walk along the river. Middle path nice and dry. We heard the one closest to the Yakima was muddy.

Best park in Ellensburg! Nice trail along the river, it even has an interpretive story along the way for the kiddos! The lakes are nice and home to some fun events. It can get crazy busy on hot days, though!

Had to stop here when I saw this view magnificent flowing river under the bridge. It was dawn. Out of my car, run to the middle of the bridge to the edge of low fence. Took few pictures. I realized I could fall down. It was exhilarating feeling welcomed me; said here we meet again in diffrent time, shape, place, and beauty. A woman stopped asked if I was okay. I could bearly see her face. It was really dark. She asked if I was okay. That was nice of her. People dont normally see someone walking there. I think left my car emergeny ligth on blinking. Didnt want drivers to hit the car. It migth caused her to stop and ask. Told her just taking pictures. I returned to the sound of water rejuvinated me. I find the connection running blood through my veins and rivers pouring on earths river beds all over the world on and under non stop; giving nurishment and lives. Only, wish had more time.

Nice area to walk but we were told of a lot of break ins to your vehicle while you are walking. Be careful

Its a beautiful park. Playground, walking paths, restrooms and grills.

Nice grounds, it is nice to walk around.

It was closed.

Best area in the spring & summer for relaxing and having fun!

Great park with river access and nice trails

Really fun, free park to hangout at.

I really love and appreciate this park

Great park for walking, swimming, fishing etc. Not very good for dogs if you are planning a picnic with your furry ones in tow. No dogs allowed on grassy areas. Nice and clean, lots of parking spaces.

Love this park, clean and dog friendly

Great park but the poorly maintained porta pot destroyed the experience.

Loved it.

This is a nice park. There is a large pond that has easy access. Lots of Bbq grills. A very nice trail that walks along the river.

Lovely park. Great place for family time, or a nice easy hike.

Its a very scenic place. Relaxing around sunset if Yu get some alone time