The park stretches 36.6 kilometres (22.7 mi) over an 4,180 hectares (10,300 acres) area from Riga, through Carnikava Municipality, and up to Saulkrasti.

[2][4] The territory is located in Rīgavas līdzenums (Rigava plain) in lv:Piejūras zemiene (Seaside lowland) coastal zone.

[2] Plant species are mainly determined based on the park's sand bedrock, high groundwater levels and poor natural drainage.

[4]: 112  These forests are most influenced by recreational and tourist anthropogenic effects – foot traffic, garbage disposal, bad forestry practices.

[4]: 107–108  These primarily pine and rarer spruce forests are mostly dry, with poor mineral, nutrient and water circulation.

[4]: 107  The estimated biotope habitat quality of forests range between poor to excellent, with potential for poorer areas to improve with proper maintenance.

[4]: 109, 111  About 500 hectares (1,200 acres) are old pine stands that closest match natural forests, some reaching 250 year age.

These location have the highest species variety and most favourable conditions,[4]: 109  although newer regions are nevertheless an important habitat.

[4]: 91–92  The dunes found in the park are a high-valued recreation, tourism and sport resource year-round, especially due to being near Latvia's most-populated areas.

[4]: 94 Embryonic dunes that form from washed out sand and high winds are rarely found on Latvia's coastline and 18.1 hectares (45 acres) are located in the park.

[4]: 92 Foredunes are often found along the beach over 52.8 hectares (130 acres) area and are home to littoral and psammophytic plant species.

It is the main habitat for rare plant species, such as Dianthus arenarius, Alyssum gmelinii, and Pulsatilla pratensis.

In Lilaste, few embryonic dunes form due to human influence, however there is stable sand accumulation and foredune formation.

[4]: 90  Although the biotopes are small areas by themselves, they add a significant recreational value and well as protect against the coastal wave and wind influence.

Their continued protection mainly depends on minimizing human influence and allowing natural geological processes to take place.

[4]: 115  By the 1940s, the lake had overgrown and there is only 0.4 hectares (0.99 acres) area of shallow (<1 metre (3 ft 3 in)) open water at present.

The sea water accumulates warmth during summer and makes the autumn and winter warmer than inland.

There are stronger winds in the park than inland, with coastal and sea breezes from interaction between water and land.

[7] Due to long-term effects of wind, this sand become shifting dune ridges that slowly "travelled" over 200 years, burying old forests, waterways and damaging infrastructure.

[7] In the 1930s, Piejura area had about 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of unsecured flowing sand with some ridges like Bākas hill moving and burying forest 1.85 metres (6 ft 1 in) per year.

[2][3] Latvian SSR Council of Ministers made the decision to create the park along the over 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) territory between Vecāķi and Carnikava, between the coast and railroad, although, no immediate work took place in the following years.

[10] The nature park was established to protect the forested coastal dune and foredune biotopes, as well as the beach.

The territory originally covered 1,629 hectares (4,030 acres) from Vecāķi neighbourhood to Gauja river estuary.

[12] Between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2020, the "LIFE CoHaBit" project surveyed and analysed the territory and formed a plan for protection, management and development of the park for 2020 onwards.

[4] Over the years, the park has had problems with people littering and dumping garbage, including "green trash" and composts that propagate invasive species.

[18][16] The plan raises special attention to protection of plant species and reduction of lake eutrophication.

It also calls attention to development of tourism infrastructure and availability of information, as well as reduction of dune damage due to visitors.

The major completed tasks included: foredune fortification against erosion, reduction of meadow reeds and increase in other plant variety and bird nesting, selective clearing of pines to further forest quality and other species growth, dune restoration increasing dune bird habitats, limiting of invasive species, and construction of infrastructure for reduction of anthropogenic effects by guiding visitor flow and providing information.