Clark Lake Park is a park in

Kent, Washington Kent is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan area and had a population of 136,588 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest municipality in greater Seattle and t ...

, United States, with the eponymous Clark Lake, in size, the main highlight of the park.

Description

Clark Lake is surrounded by a park. The park's major feature is a loop trail, which partially encircles the lake. The trail will be completed once the Ruth property is integrated into the park. The park is rural and forested, which contrasts with the denser development surrounding it. Activities include fishing from a dock on the lake, wildlife viewing,

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biking, and hiking/walking. Clark Lake has a watershed, which includes most of the park as well as areas northwest of the lake. Measurements of its water quality were only taken in 2003 and 2004, but both measurements indicated that the lake was borderline eutrophic. Overall, the water quality was classified as fair or good. The final of land, known as the Ruth Property, were acquired by Kent City Council in 2022 for $7.2 million. Acquiring this property was a long-term goal for the city, since at least 1971.

King County King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...

provided over $2 million in funding to help acquire this land, as part of a $52 million open space preservation initiative. The Ruth property was the last private property surrounding the lake. Its purchase will allow the city to complete the loop trail around the lake. City and county officials hope that completing the loop trail will help increase the popularity of the park. In addition, the city wished to control the entire shoreline of the lake to better protect water quality and wildlife habitat. If the property remained privately owned, development of the parcel could threaten the lake and the integrity of the park.

References

{{reflist Kent, Washington Geography of Kent, Washington Parks in Kent, Washington Lakes of King County, Washington Lakes of Washington (state)