Editing Chehalis, Washington (section)

==Parks and recreation==
{{main|Parks and recreation in Chehalis, Washington}}
The city has several parks, many of which are based on land donated by Chehalis residents.  Money raised to build, maintain, or upgrade the area's park system has long been done by community fundraising efforts.

The largest park, the Recreation Park Complex, is located in Chehalis's South Market district and contains four separate units.  The Gail and Carolyn Shaw Aquatics Center' opened in August 2014 and it replaced the original 1959 Chehalis Community Pool.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brewer |first1=Christopher |title=The Chronicle Person of the Year 2014: Connie Bode |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/the-chronicle-person-of-the-year-2014-connie-bode,77808 |access-date=July 27, 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=December 31, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Spurr |first1=Kyle |title=Aquatic Center: A Splashing Success |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/aquatic-center-a-splashing-success-see-the-video,81418 |access-date=July 27, 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=August 9, 2014}}</ref> The Chet and Henrietta Rhodes Spray Park, completed in 2007, adjoins the aquatic center, geared mostly for young children and people with disabilities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://chehalisfoundation.org/project/chet-and-henrietta-rhoades-spray-park/|title=Chet and Henrietta Rhodes Spray Park|publisher=City of Chehalis|access-date=February 23, 2020|archive-date=February 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224010215/https://chehalisfoundation.org/project/chet-and-henrietta-rhoades-spray-park/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Spurr |first1=Kyle |title=Chehalis Aquatic Center Named in Honor of Shaws |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/chehalis-aquatic-center-named-in-honor-of-shaws,97119 |access-date=July 27, 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=July 12, 2013}}</ref> Recreation Park is the largest of the area, and is home to four softball and youth baseball fields, picnic areas, paved walking paths, and a community center and kitchen.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rubin |first1=Will |url=http://www.chronline.com/news/recreation-park-groundbreaking-scheduled-for-monday/article_5b13c2b8-c5f1-11e9-aff9-eb96bb4a29a1.html|title=Recreation Park Groundbreaking Scheduled For Monday|publisher=The Daily Chronicle|access-date=March 1, 2020|archive-date=March 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302045107/http://www.chronline.com/news/recreation-park-groundbreaking-scheduled-for-monday/article_5b13c2b8-c5f1-11e9-aff9-eb96bb4a29a1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It was recently rebuilt in 2020 along with the abutting Penny Playground, a fenced play area geared for children.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fitzgerald |first1=Celene |title=Grand Opening Ceremonies at Recreation Park and Penny Playground Postponed |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/grand-opening-ceremonies-at-recreation-park-and-penny-playground-postponed,2522? |access-date=November 1, 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=July 15, 2020}}</ref>  The playground's name comes from the donation drives used to help fund the building of the park in 1993.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stanton |first1=Carrina |title=A Playground Project Like No Other |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/a-playground-project-like-no-other,8156? |access-date=November 1, 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

Two additional parks are furnished for athletics and organized sports. Stan Hedwall Park straddles the Newaukum River with 200 acres of ball fields, RV parking, trails, and open and forested areas.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brewer |first1=Christopher |title=City of Chehalis Celebrates Handover of Stan Hedwall Park |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/city-of-chehalis-celebrates-handover-of-stan-hedwall-park,82038 |access-date=July 9, 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=July 22, 2014}}</ref> [[Millett Field (Chehalis, Washington)|Millett Field]] was formerly home to a semi-pro baseball team in the early 20th century, and regularly used for sports since it opened in 1898 and developed in 1908. A basketball court and a playground area, both created by local charitable acts in the early 2000s, are the focus of the {{convert|3|acre|ha|adj=mid}} park.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chronline.com/opinion/voice-of-voie-remembering-millett-field-a-former-crown-jewel/article_1a005852-e792-11e7-99ed-5b5d1f0811a9.html|title=Millett Field Crown Jewel|date=December 22, 2017 |publisher=The Daily Chronicle|access-date=March 8, 2020|archive-date=May 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507032400/http://www.chronline.com/opinion/voice-of-voie-remembering-millett-field-a-former-crown-jewel/article_1a005852-e792-11e7-99ed-5b5d1f0811a9.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ci.chehalis.wa.us/parksandrecreation/millett-field|title=Millett Field|publisher=City of Chehalis|access-date=March 8, 2020|archive-date=October 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017140054/https://www.ci.chehalis.wa.us/parksandrecreation/millett-field|url-status=live}}</ref>

Several parks organized and built for leisure and family activities are dispersed within the city limits. Westside Park, located in the Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District, contains basketball courts, a playground, and picnic areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://discoverlewiscounty.com/outdoors/westside-park|title=Westside Park|publisher=Discover Lewis County|access-date=March 8, 2020|archive-date=June 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626121535/https://discoverlewiscounty.com/outdoor-adventures/westside-park|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rosane |first1=Eric |title=Chehalis City Council Approves $40,000 for Westside and Lintott-Alexander Park Improvement Groups |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/chehalis-city-council-approves-40000-for-westside-and-lintott-alexander-park-improvement-groups,266974 |access-date=July 9, 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> Lintott-Alexander Park, located on land that was donated in the early 20th century by a Chehalis family, is a {{convert|6|acre|ha|adj=mid}} park that was restored after a monetary contribution from a former community resident in 2004.<ref name="Parks Gone Wild">{{cite web|url=http://www.chronline.com/news/parks-gone-wild/article_db3481fa-53de-5492-836a-a586d487f4f9.html|title=Parks Gone Wild|date=July 10, 2004 |publisher=The Daily Chronicle|access-date=March 8, 2020|archive-date=August 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827013555/http://www.chronline.com/news/parks-gone-wild/article_db3481fa-53de-5492-836a-a586d487f4f9.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://chehalisfoundation.org/project/lintott-alexander-park/|title=Lintott-Alexander Park|publisher=Chehalis Foundation|access-date=March 8, 2020|archive-date=February 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224010247/https://chehalisfoundation.org/project/lintott-alexander-park/|url-status=live}}</ref> A pair of the oldest recreational areas in the city, John Dobson and McFadden Parks, are a combined {{convert|56|acre|ha|adj=mid}} and are located in the Hillside District on Park Hill. A shared trail, the Dobson-McFadden, bridges the parks and leads to open views to much of Chehalis, including downtown, and the Newaukum River valley.<ref name="Parks Gone Wild"/>

Several Chehalis parks contain walking paths and trails but there are three separate trails of note. The Airport Levee Trail is a mixed paved-gravel trail that loops for up to {{convert|3.5|mi}} and is situated between farm land and the Chehalis-Centralia Airport.<ref name="ALTART">{{cite news |last1=Brewer |first1=Christopher |title=Walkway Around Chehalis Airport Part of Grand Plan for Twin Cities |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/walkway-around-chehalis-airport-part-of-grand-plan-for-twin-cities,172572 |access-date=July 9, 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=October 2, 2010}}</ref> It connects with the nearby Airport Road Trail, a paved, mixed-use trail that parallels [[Interstate 5 in Washington|Interstate 5]] for {{convert|2.0|mi}}; it is part of long-term plan to link the recreational areas between the Twin Cities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://discoverlewiscounty.com/outdoors/airport-road-trail|title=Airport Road Trail|publisher=Discover Lewis County|access-date=March 22, 2020|archive-date=March 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323043046/https://discoverlewiscounty.com/outdoors/airport-road-trail|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ALTART"/> The Willapa Hills Trail stretches {{convert|56.0|mi}} from Chehalis to [[South Bend, Washington]]. Built over a late 19th century railroad, it is now a mix of paving and compact gravel and is open to hikers, bicyclists, and horse riding.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fitzgerald |first1=Celene |title=Lewis County Community Trails Pledges $10,000 Toward Willapa Hills Trail Restoration |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/lewis-county-community-trails-pledges-10000-toward-willapa-hills-trail-restoration,2150 |access-date=July 28, 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=August 3, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Trent |first1=Eric |title=Tales From the Trail: Two Local Cyclists Bike Entire Willapa Hills Trail |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/tales-from-the-trail-two-local-cyclists-bike-entire-willapa-hills-trail,1563 |access-date=July 28, 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=September 2, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Willapa Hills State Park Trail |url=https://parks.state.wa.us/1023/Willapa-Hills-Trail |website=parks.state.wa.us |publisher=Washington State Parks |access-date=July 28, 2021}}</ref>