Following six months of construction, North Lake Tapps County Park is fully open again and ready to welcome visitors with many new amenities and enhanced features.
The list of improvements includes a new bulkhead which allows for easier water access, and a new pocket beach that gives park visitors an additional way to access the water.
Boaters will enjoy the new extended boat ramp for easier water access. This improvement also makes it easier for Pierce County Sheriff deputies to conduct low-water rescues, enhancing visitor safety.
Other highly requested additions include: the newly added restroom building, picnic tables, BBQ grills, and coal dumps. Visitors will now also be able to enjoy a peninsula walking path which ends at a Mt. Rainier viewpoint.
Many of the improvements at North Lake Tapps County Park earn high marks for sustainability. The improved bulkhead and boat ramps will reduce maintenance time for backfilling and repairs. Water-efficient irrigation will reduce the amount of water used and will decrease personnel time to hand water. A goose management control device has been added that will reduce personnel time cleaning up goose droppings, which will improve visitor experiences.
Building the bulkhead resulted in mitigation projects which help to offset environmental impacts. Habitat improvements include the addition of a rocky shoreline along the pocket beach and the replacement of invasive weeds with native plants along the new walking path.
Visitors are reminded that the Governor’s orders of physical distancing and masking are still in place. Crowded parks may result in closure, so visitors are also encouraged to limit travel and limit the time of their stay.