Lake Washington

Location & fast facts

Good for & watch for

Built only from the data on this page: official access lists, OpenStreetMap beaches and trails, campground listings, state and USGS invasive-species records. We don't rate crowds or water quality.

Official stocking data (Washington WDFW)

Stocked by the state: Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, Rainbow trout (2015–2026, 12 years; 477,113 fish in all, fry included)

Source: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, WDFW Fish Plants data on data.wa.gov (releases into Lake Washington, King County, since 2015). See WDFW trout stocking reports. These are stocking records, not a full fish survey; other species also live here.

Lake map

Lake Washington shoreline, boat launches & beaches

Open interactive map

Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 148900411), public domain. State outline: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb. Points: WDFW water access sites and OpenStreetMap boat ramps (ODbL). Dashed trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Interactive map: Leaflet with © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not for navigation.

Shoreline trails

OpenStreetMap shows about 39.0 mi of public hiking and walking trail within about 100 m (330 ft) of the Lake Washington shoreline, mostly along the north and south shores. About 4.8 mi of it is on islands, which you can reach only by boat.

Trails along the shore

• Burke-Gilman Trail · 4.7 mi near the shore · north side
• Eastrail · 2.6 mi near the shore · south side
• Gene Coulon Beach Park Interpretive Walk · 1.0 mi near the shore · south side
• SR 520 Trail · 1.0 mi near the shore · on an island
• I 90 Trail · 0.9 mi near the shore · south side · part of Lake to Lake Trail
• Beach Walk · 0.6 mi near the shore · north side
• Lake Washington Public Access Trail · 0.5 mi near the shore · north side
• Arboretum Waterfront Trail · 0.5 mi near the shore · on an island
• Unnamed paths · 23.3 mi near the shore

Trailheads & parking

• Unnamed trailhead
  Trailhead · 0.2 mi from a shoreline trailGet directions
• Boat Trailer Parking
  Trail parking · 150 ft from a shoreline trailGet directions
• Trailer Parking
  Trail parking · 250 ft from a shoreline trailGet directions

The dashed brown line on the lake map shows these trails. We include paths, footways and marked trails that OpenStreetMap doesn't mark as private, and leave out roads, sidewalks and snowmobile corridors. Mapped trails can still cross private land or close for the season, and not every trail is mapped, so follow posted signs.

Trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Map data as of Oct 9, 2026. Trail lengths count only the parts within about 100 m of the USGS NHD lake outline.

Campgrounds near Lake Washington

We found 35 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of Lake Washington, 2 of them within 5 miles. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.

• Lake Pleasant R.V. Park
  RV park

  2.4 mi from the shore · Bothell

  Electric hookups · RVs welcome · Showers · Toilets

  WebsiteGet directions
• Trailer Inns of Bellevue
  RV park

  2.5 mi from the shore · Bellevue · Run by Trailer Inns RV Parks

  Electric hookups · RVs welcome · Dump station · Wi-Fi

  WebsiteGet directions
• Issaquah Village RV Park
  RV park

  7.6 mi from the shore · Issaquah

  RVs welcome

  WebsiteGet directions
• Cascadia Marine Trail Campsite - Meadowdale
  CampgroundTown park

  7.7 mi from the shore · Edmonds

  Tent sites · Toilets · Drinking water

  WebsiteGet directions
• Maple Grove RV Resort
  RV park

  8.7 mi from the shore · Snohomish County

  Electric hookups · RVs welcome · Toilets

  WebsiteGet directions
• Lakeside RV Park
  RV park

  8.8 mi from the shore · Snohomish County

  Electric hookups · RVs welcome

  WebsiteGet directions

All campgrounds & RV parks in Washington

Green tent icons on the lake map mark campgrounds near the shore, and the interactive map shows the closest 12. Amenities are listed only where a source records them; call or check the campground's website before you go, since seasons and rates change every year.

Campground data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Pulled Oct 12, 2026.

Conditions right now

Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (47.6290, -122.2605). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for Lake Washington. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.

Sun, moon & best fishing times

Based on solunar theory, an estimate. Major periods (about 2 hours) center on when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot; minor periods (about 1 hour) center on moonrise and moonset. The 0–100 activity score rises during those periods and gets a boost near sunrise and sunset and around the new and full moon. Weather, water temperature and pressure often matter more. Sun and moon times are calculated in your browser from the lake's coordinates with standard astronomy formulas, shown in PT (America/Los_Angeles), and accurate to within a few minutes.

Boat launches & access sites

25 public access sites listed, 25 with a boat ramp or trailer launch.

WDFW water access sites and OpenStreetMap boat ramps (ODbL)

Fees, hours and rules change; confirm with the site owner before you go.

Public beaches

On OpenStreetMap: 18 beaches and swimming spots on the shore of Lake Washington not marked private, residents-only or members-only.

Beaches: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), within about 150 m (500 ft) of the lake outline. A mapped beach is not a guarantee that swimming is allowed, supervised or safe; some town beaches need a resident sticker even when the map doesn't say so. Check posted rules and water-quality advisories before you swim.

Non-native/invasive species

Reported on or near Lake Washington

• Curly-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus): 3 USGS records, first reported 1965, latest 2009 · status: established (fact sheet).
• Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum): 8 USGS records, first reported 1984, latest 2022 · status: established (fact sheet).
• Brazilian waterweed (Egeria densa): 13 USGS records, first reported 1998, latest 2024 · status: established, unknown (fact sheet).
• Chinese mysterysnail (Cipangopaludina chinensis): 18 USGS records, first reported 2002, latest 2024 · status: established (fact sheet).
• Common water-hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes): 1 USGS record, first reported 2019 (fact sheet).

USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database

USGS records matched to this water by location (within about 150 m of the outline) or by the place name in the record. A record shows a sighting was reported; it doesn't prove the species is still there. As of Oct 10, 2026.

Contact & official info

• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW): fishing rules, licenses and stocking.

Questions about Lake Washington

Share a tip or fishing report

Know Lake Washington? Tell us about the launch, parking, where they're biting or anything a first-time visitor should know. Tips go privately to the LakeRipple editor; nothing is posted automatically. Helpful tips may be featured on this page (we'll use your first name only if you give one).

Lakes & ponds nearby

• Lake Union · Seattle · 756 acres · 3.6 mi
• Green Lake · Seattle · 250 acres · 5.0 mi
• Lake Washington Ship Canal · Seattle · 283 acres · 5.9 mi
• Phantom Lake · Bellevue · 64 acres · 6.8 mi
• Lake Sammamish · Sammamish · 4,852 acres · 7.9 mi
• Pine Lake · Sammamish · 86 acres · 10.4 mi

Straight-line distance between lake centers. All Washington lakes & ponds · All waters in Seattle