After complaints, Pierce County city’s popular boat launch reopens with upgrades
After it was closed for more than a year, a popular boat launch at American Lake Park in Lakewood has reopened, the city announced late last week.
Two of the ramps to the lake were closed Oct. 2 after residents complained the launch had fallen into disrepair and damaged their vehicles and trailers, as previously reported by The News Tribune. The five-acre park rests on the 1.7-mile lake and is a popular place for fishing, swimming, boating, water skiing, tubing, sailing and wakeboarding, according to Nearcation Lakewood. The park also has a great view of Mount Rainier.
On Jan. 9, Lakewood announced the launch had reopened. The launch rate is $15, and season passes are $125 for residents and $150 for non-Lakewood residents, according to the city’s website. This is the same price as last year, confirmed city spokesperson Kelie Kahler on Tuesday.
In December 2024, the City Council voted to spend no more than $90,000 of city funds to repair the boat launch, including replacing damaged planks and blocks, adding large boulders at the end of the ramp bed to hold it in place, adding signage and an articulating mat at the end of the ramp to help hold it in place and make it easier for trailers to get in and out of the water.
In September, the city unveiled a new playground, restroom and landscaping at American Lake Park, which also has a swimming beach. It’s one of the city’s most-used parks due to limited access to lakes, something Lakewood is seeking to improve with its street-end project.
