Sitting right in between the Snoqualmie Valley Trail and the Snoqualmie River, McCormick Park is a pleasant summer hangout spot located just off of downtown Duvall. Although it is small, it’s a great place to relax by the water or to bring your dog for a walk on a nice day throughout the meadows.
What initially drew me to this park was its close proximity to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. The park’s main access point comes right off the trail, intersecting with the turnoff to downtown Duvall and the historic train station. Because of this easy access, you’ll often find local residents with their dogs on a walk, friends touring the park, and groups of people playing in the water.
Every summer, the City of Duvall hosts events in the park. This year, everything from free concerts (as part of the Summer Stage program) to the annual art event Sandblast are hosted. The park is best used for gathering with friends and family alike as an easy place to be outdoors together.
The highlight of the park is certainly the river. Winding its way throughout the whole valley, the river finds itself running across the border of a clean and soft sandy beach, lying cool in the shade of stoic alder and cottonwood trees. This is one of the best places to swim and hang out on the Snoqualmie river. Notably, the city does provide free lifejackets in case you decide to take a spontaneous swim. As far as river swimming goes, this is one of the calmest and warmest locations there are.
In the end, while the river is lovely and the community events are certainly worth investigating, I personally find this park to be fairly unremarkable despite its convenient location. Consider heading down to McCormick if you’re looking for a fun event or just happen to be in the area. Otherwise, I wouldn’t go out of my way to see this park. There are many other larger parks with longer hikes in the area, such as Tolt MacDonald, Rattlesnake Lake, or Mount Si.
