Deschutes Parkway & Capitol Lake Interpretive Center

Deschutes Parkway

Deschutes Parkway is a 1.68-mile state-owned roadway that runs along the western shore of Capitol Lake at the base of a heavily wooded hillside. Popular amongst runners and walkers, this parkway links paths around Capitol Lake and connects to downtown Olympia, Heritage Park, the Capitol Lake Interpretive Center, and Tumwater Falls Historical Park.

Capitol Lake Interpretive Center

The Interpretive Center is part of what makes our Capitol Campus unique compared to other state capitols in the U.S. Its history dates back to 1979, with the first dredging of Capitol Lake. In that project, an 18-acre, two-cell dewatering basin was created to process the spoils of future dredge operations. A much smaller dredging operation in 1986 used the basins for this purpose. A third dredging operation planned in the mid-1990s was prevented, however, because portions of the dewatering basins had naturally evolved, were determined to be wetlands, and could not be disturbed.

When Heritage Park was constructed in 1997, these 18 acres were designated for an interpretive center with the state's commitment to establish and maintain high-quality wetlands in the former dewatering basins. These new wetlands create more open-water habitats and lessen the impact of expanding the park grounds into formerly submerged lake areas. The 2001 Nisqually Earthquake greatly damaged the area, but reconstruction projects provided many opportunities for improvements.

Pedestrian pathways from the Interpretive Center thread through these wetlands, following the Deschutes River estuary to Tumwater Historical Park to the south. The Interpretive Center features covered kiosks, lakeside viewing platforms, and public restrooms. Interpretive signs provide information on native plants along the trail that sustain the rich diversity of wildlife living here. Numerous community groups as well as tribes have participated in planting activities. Capitol Lake is currently closed to all activities on the water.

Location

Located off of Deschutes Parkway Southeast.

Views

As you move northward around Capitol Lake, you can admire unfolding views of vibrant downtown Olympia, with Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains as a backdrop. Moving southward, you'll experience the richness of our state’s natural environment all around you, with the wooded hillsides surrounding the State Capitol, and the interwoven river-to-sound, lake, and wetland ecology and wildlife.

Check out Capitol Lake and the Campus Powerhouse as you travel down Deschutes Parkway. Viewing platforms at the Interpretive Center offer pretty views of Capitol Lake, Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains in the distance.

Parking

Free street parking is available on the east side of Deschutes Parkway.