Chambers Bay: Where the Puget Sound Meets One of Washington’s Most Spectacular Landscapes
Perched along the shores of Puget Sound in University Place, Washington, Chambers Bay is one of the South Sound’s most distinctive destinations. With sweeping water views, miles of walking trails, dramatic elevation changes, open green spaces, and a nationally recognized golf course, Chambers Bay offers visitors a remarkable combination of recreation and Pacific Northwest scenery.
Located just southwest of Tacoma, the property feels surprisingly removed from the surrounding city. From its hillsides and trails, visitors can look across the blue waters of Puget Sound toward nearby islands and the distant Olympic Mountains. On a clear day, the expansive views alone are worth the trip.
More Than a Famous Golf Course
Chambers Bay is perhaps best known nationally as the home of Chambers Bay Golf Course, the links-style course that hosted the 2015 U.S. Open Championship. Its rolling terrain, wide fairways, towering dunes, and waterfront setting introduced millions of television viewers around the world to this unique corner of Washington State.
But you do not need to play golf to enjoy Chambers Bay.
The surrounding recreational area has become a favorite destination for walkers, runners, families, photographers, dog owners, and visitors simply looking for a beautiful place to spend an afternoon.
The landscape itself is part of the attraction. Chambers Bay occupies land with a long industrial history, including decades of gravel mining. Today, the transformed property offers a striking mixture of rugged terrain, carefully maintained recreational areas, native vegetation, and unobstructed views of Puget Sound.
Walk the Chambers Bay Loop
One of the best ways to experience Chambers Bay is on foot.
The Chambers Bay Loop provides a scenic journey through the property, taking visitors along hillsides, open spaces, and portions of the waterfront. Be prepared for elevation changes—the hills are part of the experience—but they also reward visitors with some of the best views in the area.
Depending on where you are along the trail, the scenery can change dramatically. One moment you may be looking across the golf course and its rolling landscape, and a short while later you can be watching boats move through Puget Sound.
For photographers, the changing light, water, mountains, railroad, golf course, and open landscape provide countless opportunities throughout the year.
Head Down to the Waterfront
The shoreline is another highlight of a visit to Chambers Bay.
A pedestrian bridge provides access across the railroad tracks toward the waterfront, where visitors can experience Puget Sound from an entirely different perspective. The beach and shoreline offer a place to slow down, explore, enjoy the saltwater air, and watch marine traffic passing in the distance.
It is particularly beautiful during the warmer months, but Chambers Bay is truly a year-round destination. Summer brings long evenings and active trails, while fall and winter can create dramatic skies over the Sound. Spring brings fresh greenery and longer days back to the landscape.
Bring the Family—and the Dog
Chambers Bay is also well suited for a casual family outing.
Large open areas provide room to enjoy the outdoors without feeling confined, and the playground near the recreational areas gives younger visitors something of their own to explore.
For travelers accompanied by four-legged family members, the Chambers Bay area is especially appealing. The off-leash dog park gives dogs an opportunity to exercise while their owners enjoy one of the South Sound’s most impressive outdoor settings.
As always, visitors should observe posted rules and leash requirements outside designated off-leash areas.
Golf With a View
For golfers, Chambers Bay offers an experience unlike most courses in the Pacific Northwest.
The course was designed in the tradition of Scottish links golf, with very few trees, broad views, firm playing surfaces, dramatic contours, and the ever-present influence of wind coming off Puget Sound.
Its selection as the site of the 2015 U.S. Open placed University Place on an international sporting stage and permanently established Chambers Bay as one of Washington State’s best-known golf destinations.
Even visitors who never pick up a club can appreciate the scale and beauty of the course from surrounding public areas.
Stay for the Sunset
If your schedule allows, plan your visit so you are still at Chambers Bay as the afternoon begins turning into evening.
Sunsets over Puget Sound can be spectacular. As the sun drops toward the Olympic Peninsula, the water reflects the changing sky and the entire landscape takes on a different character.
Bring a camera, take your time, and find a comfortable place to enjoy the view.
It is one of those simple Pacific Northwest experiences that photographs rarely capture as well as being there.
Make Chambers Bay Part of Your South Sound Visit
Chambers Bay’s location in University Place makes it an excellent addition to a larger Tacoma and Pierce County itinerary. Visitors can spend part of the day exploring the trails and waterfront before continuing on to Tacoma, Point Defiance, the surrounding waterfront communities, or other destinations throughout the South Sound.
It is also a destination that does not require an elaborate itinerary. You can come for an early morning walk, spend an afternoon exploring, play a round of golf, bring the family to the park, or simply stop long enough to watch the sun disappear beyond Puget Sound.
That accessibility is part of what makes Chambers Bay special.
Discover Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington
Washington State is famous for mountains, forests, islands, and waterways, but some of its most memorable places are where those landscapes come together.
Chambers Bay is one of them.
Here, green hills descend toward Puget Sound. The Olympic Mountains rise in the distance. Walking trails wind through an unusual landscape shaped by both industry and restoration. A championship golf course shares the waterfront with public parks, beaches, and recreational spaces.
Whether you are visiting Pierce County for the first time or exploring your own backyard, Chambers Bay deserves a place on your list.
Come for the views. Walk the trails. Explore the waterfront. Bring your camera.
And give yourself enough time to stay for the sunset.