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Two in Tow & On The Go | Returning to Chambers Creek Regional Park

This story is the second half of a two-part feature on taking kids to Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place. Read the first story here.                        

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As promised, I’m back with the second half of our adventures at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, a great spot to take the kids for some multifaceted outdoor exploring.

Last time, I wrote about how the Pierce County park offers trails, beach access, a neat pedestrian bridge over an active railroad and, among other fun outdoorsy stuff, lots of open space to roam. With several entry points along Grandview Drive West, the site is a local favorite and, frankly, just too big to squeeze into one column.

Speaking of size, you may have noticed there’s a pretty big gap between Parts 1 and 2 of this story. Did I get sidetracked by a certain waterpark closing? Why, yes. Yes I did. And after that, did the kids go back to school, have two open houses and two different meet-and-greets at two different schools? Uh huh. And, did I catch aaaall of the back-to-school germs that barely fazed my children but took me out of commission for 14 days, decidedly ruining all my busy mom plans? Yep. That sounds about right.

OK. So moving on. But at least there’s some nice fall weather in the coming weeks (or at least until Halloween). And that’s plenty of time to copy our summer visit with your kids or grandkids looking for things to do near Gig Harbor.

I last left you with the kids and I (and Three in Tow Big Kid Greg Spadoni) dodging honey bees in summer-y fields of clover in the Central Meadow, just south of the golf course. Then we crossed the “Bridge to the Beach” footpath over the railroad tracks and stuck around to watch a freight train.

This time, I’ll recap what there is to see at the entrance and exit of the pedestrian bridge. The first stop was a “love lock” public art installation that I’ve been wanting to see since writing about Gig Harbor’s love lock woes of 2023. And finally, we go to beach. With dogs.

But before we do that — I gotta talk about Chambers Creek Regional Park’s …

Playground by the Sound

We didn’t make it to the playground this time, since it’s located on the opposite side of the bridge area with a big beautiful golf course in between. It has a cool log vibe, little painted murals and … oh-em-gee … this place has views for days.  I scrounged up some pictures from a October 2021 trip there with the cousins. The photos basically make me sob because Wyatt was just 5 years old and Clara was 7. It seems nearly impossible that the pics are from five years ago, but here we are. And does this playground remind you of anything? Perhaps how much it looks like Gig Harbor’s hidden gem of a playground, The Kids Gig, that I fan-girled over in 2023?

From left, Wyatt, Clara and cousin Delphi in October 2021, taking in the spectacular view of Chambers Bay Golf Course from the Playground by the Sound.

‘SWOON’

Back to summer 2026, we finally got to check out “SWOON,” stylized in all caps. It’s an interactive public art installation where visitors fasten padlocks around tall metal poles as a symbolic gesture of being linked forever to friends and loved ones.

Known as “love locks,” folks typically personalize the gesture by writing names, initials, dates or messages in marker on the face of the lock, then attaching it to the sculpture. I’ve wanted to check out this artwork since 2023, when we spied more than 150 love locks secured to cables between the guard rails of the 2013 city bridge over North Creek and Donkey Creek Park. The city of Gig Harbor removed the locks in 2026 over concerns about the locks’ potential to cause structural damage. 

The practice is commonly associated with romantic relationships, but, as we saw this summer, the messages also celebrate friendships, people who have died, and other meaningful connections. A few signs in front of the artwork say as much, with some additional details about its design:

“Swoon is inspired by dune grass rippling in the wind, the undulating waves of Puget Sound, and the industrial relics of Chambers Creek Regional Park.”

Signs also encouraged lock-leavers to drop their lock keys in the dropbox provided, for good luck. Well, for luck and to keep locks off bridges, fencing and other publicly-funded infrastructure; and to keep keys out of bodies of water, where the shiny metal can disrupt ecosystems.

The Beach

After checking out the locks, we moseyed over to the aptly named “Bridge to the Beach” that crosses the train tracks on which we watched the freight train. The bridge looks more like an overpass, but it’s only for people on foot. No cars allowed. And it provides a nice little walk to the shore — making time for selfies:

It eventually slopes downward, leading into stairs and more than two miles of shoreline.

Along the way, we were treated to sweeping views of McNeil Island, Fox Island, the Point Fosdick area of the Gig Harbor Peninsula and even the landmark expanse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the distance. The view is that good! See?

Not that the kids were particularly interested in stopping to admire local landmarks with a beach in their sights. But I do believe we managed to pause and gawk for at least 4.5 seconds:

Dogs

If you have very little kids with you, be aware that just south of the bridge/stairs to the sand is the park’s off-leash dog beach area. Located “directly south of the overpass,” according to the county’s park page, the off-leash boundary along the shore is marked in green in is mapped below. Park rules say pets must be leashed on the shore north of the stairs. Chambers Bay Regional Park has another dedicated dog park away from the shore that’s fenced in and located on the south edge of Central Meadow between the beach and parking lot. It’s on the county map, too:

Source: www.piercecountywa.gov

There you have it. The beauty and fun of Chambers Creek Regional Park unlocked. Well, if you haven’t been there yet, or at least haven’t been to all its many places to explore. I know we’ll be going back there soon.

See ya out there!

IF YOU GO:

Chambers Creek Regional Park
6320 Grandview Dr. W.
University Place

Tonya Strickland is a Gig Harbor mom-of-two and longtime journalist. Now in the travel and family niche, her blog, Two in Tow & On the Go, was named among the 10 Seattle-Area Instagram Accounts to Follow by ParentMap magazine. Tonya and her husband Bowen moved to Gig Harbor from California with their two kids, Clara (12) and Wyatt (10) in 2021. Follow along for all the kid-friendly places in and around town.