[10] Residents have reported sightings of a black bear leaving the state park annually during the summer season.

[14] Much of the land included in the park was set aside "for the purpose of being applied to common schools" when Washington Territory was created in 1853.

[18] During this time there were around 3,500 horses in and around Bellevue; a formal horse-riding group called the Lake Washington Saddle Club was formed during this period.

[19] Workers with the Civil Works Administration cleared brush, burned logging debris, built trails and fences, and other efforts in initial park development.

[20] This payment was the result of an agreement with the state government, who would be required to keep the park open and undeveloped for 40 years starting in 2003.

[17] Originally the park was surrounded by properties with stables, but suburbanization has increased the density of nearby residential housing.