List of geographic features in Thurston County, Washington

The list of geographic features in Thurston County, Washington includes bodies of water and natural landforms. The list may also include geographic areas built or modified by humans, including archaeological sites and parks.

Bodies of water

Bays and coves

• 
  Burns Cove, 2009
• 
  Frye Cove, 2023
• 
  Mud Bay, 2015

• Baird Cove
• Burns Cove
• Butler Cove
• Chapman Bay
• Dogfish Bight
• Ellis Cove
• Frye Cove
• Gallagher Cove
• Green Cove
• Gull Harbor
• Hogum Bay
• Mud Bay
• Nisqually Reach
• Oyster Bay
• Poncin Cove
• Young Cove
• Zangle Cove

Channels

Budd Inlet, 2023

• Dana Passage

Inlets

• Budd Inlet
• Eld Inlet
• Henderson Inlet
• Totten Inlet

Lakes and ponds

• 
  Alder Lake, 2017
• 
  Black Lake, 2023
• 
  Capitol Lake, 2016
• 
  Summit Lake, 2020

• Alder Lake
• Barnes Lake
• Bass Lake
• Black Lake
• Capitol Lake
• Chambers Lake
• Clear Lake
• Deep Lake
• Elbow Lake
• Fiander Lake
• Gehrke Lake
• Goodwin Lake
• Goose Pond
• Grass Lakes, including Louise Lake
• Hazard Lake
• Hewitt Lake
• Hicks Lake
• Lake Fifteen
• Lake Lawrence
• Lake Lois
• Lake Lucinda
• Lake Saint Clair
• Long Lake
• Longs Pond
• McIntosh Lake
• McKenzie Lake
• Mud Lake
• Munn Lake
• Offutt Lake
• Pattison Lake
• Pitman Lake
• Reichel Lake
• Scott Lake
• Setchfield Lake
• Simmons Lake, also as Ken Lake
• Smith Lake
• Southwick Lake
• Summit Lake
• Sunwood Lake
• Trosper Lake
• Ward Lake

Rivers, creeks, or streams

• 
  Black River, 2023
• 
  Chehalis River, 2017
• 
  Deschutes River, 1895
• 
  Nisqually River, 2025
• 
  Skookumchuck River, 2009

• Beatty Creek
• Black River
• Chehalis River
• Deschutes River
• Eaton Creek
• Elbow Lake Creek
• Ellis Creek
• Indian Creek
• Johnson Creek
• Kennedy Creek
• Lackamas Creek
• Libby Creek
• McAllister Creek
• McLane Creek
• Medicine Creek
• Mill Creek
• Mima Creek
• Moxlie Creek
• Nisqually River
• Noski Creek
• Percival Creek
• Prairie Creek
• Salmon Creek
• Schneider Creek
• Simmons Creek
• Skookumchuck River
• Spurgeon Creek
• Thompson Creek (Nisqually River tributary)
• Thompson Creek (Skookumchuck River tributary)
• Thurston Creek
• Troller Run
• Waddell Creek
• Woodland Creek
• Yelm Creek

Other

Lower Tumwater Falls, 2014

• Parsnip Swamp

Waterfalls

• Mima Falls
• Tumwater Falls

Landforms

Islands

• Holmes Island
• Steamboat Island

Hills, mountains, and ranges

Black Hills panoramic, 2005

• Black Hills
• Blumaer Hill
• Capitol Peak
• Larch Mountain
• Northcraft Mountain

Parks and preserves

See also: Parks and recreation in Olympia, Washington

• 
  Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, 2025
• 
  Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve, 2023
• 
  Tolmie State Park, 2011
• 
  Scatter Creek - Glacial Heritage Preserve, 2022
• 
  Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area, 2019

The following list contains parks, nature preserves or refuges, and trails under state or federal management. For local parks, protected areas, and other recreational sites, please refer to community articles within Thurston County.

• Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
• Capitol State Forest
• Chehalis Western Trail
• Kennedy Creek Natural Area Preserve
• Millersylvania State Park ^[1]
• Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve
• Scatter Creek Wildlife Area ^[a]
• Tolmie State Park
• Wolf Haven International ^[2]
• Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area
• Yelm–Rainier–Tenino Trail

Other

Lawrence Lake erratic, 2015

• Chehalis Gap
• Lake Lawrence erratic
• Rocky Prairie
• Thirty-eight Infantry Bluff

Points

• Cooper Point
• Dickenson Point
• Hunter Point
• Jeal Point
• Johnson Point (Thurston County, Washington)
• Shell Point
• Warren Point

Valleys

• Hanaford Valley
• Zenkner Valley

See also

• List of lakes of Washington
• List of mountain peaks of Washington
• List of rivers of Washington (state)

Notes

1. The Scatter Creek Wildlife Area includes the neighboring parcels, the Black River Wildlife Area Unit and Glacial Heritage Preserve. Also included is the Davis Creek Wildlife Area Unit and Skookumchuck Wildlife Area Unit, as well as the nature preserves, the Violet Prairie Wildlife Area Unit, and West Rocky Prairie Unit.

References

1. Danner, Lauren (May 15, 2025). "A History of Washington State Parks". HistoryLink . Retrieved September 22, 2025.
2. Reiff, Corbin (May 28, 2025). "Wolf Haven International provides sanctuary for endangered species". The Seattle Times . Retrieved September 22, 2025.