Parks and recreation in Olympia, Washington, which includes recreational sites and trails, is overseen by the Olympia Parks, Arts & Recreation Department. Additional parks and trails within or near the city are managed under Thurston County oversight or by various Washington state agencies.
The first official public use site in the city began in 1850 and became known as Sylvester Park. Continued growth, especially in the 21st century, has allowed the city of Olympia, , to amass a collection of 45 parks encompassing more than .
Parks and recreation areas in the city of Olympia is overseen by the Olympia Parks, Arts & Recreation Department (OPARD). The first official park began as a land donation to the city, eventually becoming Sylvester Park, with a further purchase of a land claim in 1906 for Priest Point Park.
By 2001, the city was reported to have 21 parks encompassing . During a two-year period ending in 2007, the department spent $9.8 million to acquire an additional split between eight park sites; the funds were provided by a temporary 3% utility tax. Several acquisitions increased the total land holdings to in 2021. The city's public works department transferred four parcels to OPARD in September 2021. The ceded properties included Black Lake Meadows, the Taylor Wetlands, and the stormwater collection areas of Indian Creek and Yauger Park. Part of the transfer also included the Kaiser Wood, LBA Woods, and West Bay Woods open space reserves.
In 2019, OPARD implemented non-pesticide management practices and disallowed the use of Roundup.
, the agency manages 45 parks, provides educational classes and programs, and collaborates with artists and communities to install public artworks in the city. The city contains 24 miles of trails, a dozen athletic fields and 25 sports courts, and twelve playgrounds. Over 130 community gardens and individual public artworks are extent in Olympia.
Two parks and the Olympia Armory were renamed in January 2026 after residents of note in the Olympia community. The Olympia City Council approved the armory to be renamed the Daley Arts Center after a 1980s Olympia mayor and prominent supporter of the building, Bill Daley. Kaiser Woods was renamed Marj Yung Park. In the 1970s, Marjorie Yung was the first female Thurston County commissioner, helped to create Burfoot Park, and published a book about the plant life of Ken Lake which is situated near the renamed recreation site. Yelm Highway Park, to be developed in 2026, was renamed to the Jolene Unsoeld Community Park. Unsoeld was a state and federal legislator in Washington state representing the Olympia district.
Unless otherwise noted, information about the following Olympia parks, such as acreage, addresses, and establishment dates, is provided by the Olympia Parks, Arts & Recreation Department.
Olympia classifies small parks, usually containing playground areas and open spaces, as neighborhood parks. The recreation sites can contain additional amenities such as picnic areas and public art, or other recreational opportunities such as athletic courts and trails.
Additional neighborhood parks, which may be undeveloped, include the 18th Avenue and Lilly Road parcels and Olympia Park.
Community parks in the city are considered to serve as larger recreational venues for a wider range of activities as well as increased numbers of the local population. Sites usually include athletic courts and fields, but can also be associated with community gardens or waterfront areas.
Heritage Park is also listed under the classification.
Open spaces in Olympia are usually bereft of improvements or amenities such as athletic fields or playgrounds. The habitats, outside of bathrooms, parking, or trails, are often left in their natural state. Such spaces may include a variety of aquatic ecosystems, such as creeks, marine shorelines, rivers, or wetlands, as well as forest or prairie habitats.
Additional open space parks and trails, which may be undeveloped, include the Garfield Nature Trail, the Karen Fraser Woodland Trail, the South Capitol Lots, and the Wildwood Glen and Yew Avenue parcels.
The list below includes parks that are classified under a combination of community, neighborhood, or open space areas and parks.
Additional parks that are multi-classified, and which may be undeveloped, include the 28th Avenue, Edison Street, Harrison Avenue, and Kaiser Road parcels. Grass Lake Nature Park is also listed under the classification.
The following parks in Olympia may not be uniquely classified under OPARD or may be under other jurisdictions, such as county, private, or state ownership, or oversight under the Port of Olympia.
Parks within the Washington State Capitol campus are owned by the State of Washington and include Capitol Lake, Heritage, Marathon, and Sylvester parks.
Parks under the jurisdiction of Thurston County in or near Olympia include Burfoot Park, Frye Cove (County) Park on Steamboat Island and Kenneydell Park in Belmore on Black Lake. Parks under Washington state management include Tolmie State Park, east of Olympia, and the Kennedy Creek Natural Area Preserve, situated to the west.
Trails within or connected to Olympia include three rail trails, the Chehalis Western Trail, the Gate to Belmore Trail, and the Karen Fraser Woodland Trail. A paved path known as the Ralph Munro Trail is located near Evergreen College. An paved bike trail known as the I-5 Bike Path runs parallel to the interstate and connects to both the Chehalis Western and Karen Fraser passageways.
The Chehalis Western, Gate to Belmore, and Ralph Munro trails are under county oversight.
The city created the Neighborhood Pathways Program in 2013 which, after approval from the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, helps to fund and construct pathways in communities to parks, streets, and other existing trails in Olympia. An early project was the connection of the Indian Creek neighborhood to the Karen Fraser Woodland Trail in 2016.
The construction of bike corridors, used to "maximize safety and streamline travel" for Olympian bike riders especially near the downtown core, was first begun by 2016. The first corridor was a stretch connecting Lions and Sylvester parks. Garfield Nature Trail connects West Bay and Westside neighborhoods through a greenbelt that contains an unnamed ravine.
The city began a commuter, "multi-modal" trail system known as the Capitol to Capitol (CTC) trail, linking existing trails throughout the city between Capitol Forest and the Washington State Capitol campus. By 2025, Grass Lake Nature Park became the first, "off-street" portion of the CTC to be completed.
Undeveloped lands for potential future use as public parks include the Harrison Avenue Parcel, a plot in West Olympia purchased in 2011. Planning includes the connection of the site by trail to Grass Lake Nature Park.
Other undeveloped properties include the Lilly Road Parcel, the Log Cabin Road Parcel measured at , and the South Capitol Lots which encompasses less than an acre.
Properties under OPARD management or ownership include The Olympia Center, a community center, and the Olympia Armory, transferred by the state to the city in 2021.