Pine Lake & Beaver Lake

Located south of the Sammamish Highlands Shopping Center down the main street of 228^th, you’ll run into two communities, each built around their own small lake. Beaver Lake is minutes east, and Pine Lake is just west off the main drag. They are the last two Sammamish communities before descending off the plateau toward Issaquah, and the southern bend of 11-mile-long Lake Sammamish.

Around 1920, Weyerhaeuser, now one of the world’s largest pulp and paper companies, and centered in Federal Way, WA, began logging the area surrounding Beaver Lake for its timber. By the 30s, the Four Seasons Resort, or Bartels Resort (associated with Bartel Drugs), is where high school students from Seattle went for weekend summer dances in the country, and where families would vacation to swim, fish, and participate in kayak and boat races. Now in the southeast part of Sammamish lies 85 acres of beautiful evergreen park. Much of Beaver Lake Park is taken up by the beachfront and swimming area, its 3 playing fields, playground, and a large wooden jigsaw lodge that is available for private parties and events. However, 54 of its acres are still wooded, and this area is veined with hiking trails that offer a variety of scenic lookouts.

BLP is the pride and joy of its surrounding neighborhood, and the community dedicates itself to organizing events that promote environmental responsibility. As well as putting on holiday parties, Easter egg hunts, and summer regattas, the Beaver Lake Committee also plans litter pick-up and tree-planting parties to try to maintain the neighborhood’s natural beauty. The biggest event held here is the annual Beaver Lake Triathlon, which is usually held on the 3^rd Saturday in August. Beaver Lake Middle School is the junior high that the elementary schools of the area feed into, and when the kids aren’t in school they can attend Shoofly Farm, a day-camp that offers horseback riding and a large organic garden full of vegetables to care for and eat.

Right off the main drag in south-central Sammamish lies the smaller, yet undeniably more popular, plateau park. The newly renovated, 16-acre Pine Lake Park is the premier location for families in the summertime. With a brand new pier for fishing, a variety of improved playing fields, a climbing wall, BBQ grill and picnic shelter, and a freshly landscaped beachfront (lifeguards included), residents are drawn to this lovely lake surrounded by tall pines and evergreen trees. During the summer, every Thursday evening PLP, with its idyllic, wooded setting, hosts Summer Nights in the Park-a community event that features music concerts, plays, and outdoor movies.

Both Beaver Lake and Pine Lake share the Pine Lake Plaza for their shopping needs. The plaza boasts a QFC and Rite Aid for groceries and other amenities. Starbucks, Subway, Expose salon, Columbia Fitness, and other shops also compliment the plaza. Restaurants offered include August Moon Chinese restaurant and La Casita for Mexican eats. Across the street is a wonderful family pediatric grouping of specialized offices, and nearby is Pine Lake Middle School. Beaver Lake and Pine Lake teens can attend Skyline High School-a beautiful, fairly new, 3A high school that is scenically located on the top of a hill, and known for its high-class education and solid sports program.