For a sense of whether boating season is still open on Tacoma Point and Evergreen Point this week, check the lake gauge.

As of September 18, Lake Tapps sat at 540.37 feet, according to the USGS monitoring station on the reservoir. That is roughly two feet below the 542.5-foot mark the lake typically holds at full summer pool, and the seven-day trend was still falling, about 0.14 feet over the week. Cascade Water Alliance, which operates the reservoir, maintains recreational levels between 541.5 and 543 feet from April 15 through September 30. September 21 fell inside that window on paper. The lake had already started its retreat.

For Tacoma Point and Evergreen Point, the difference between the scheduled recreational period and the lake gauge is useful context: water levels can change while the scheduled period is still underway. The two private parks are accessible to members of the Tacoma Point Improvement Club.

The Lake Doesn't Wait for November

Cascade's active, managed drawdown, the part where the utility deliberately lowers the reservoir to protect the dikes over winter, typically starts around the first week of November and brings the lake down to roughly 538 to 539 feet for the cold months. That schedule is useful context, while the gauge can show falling water levels before the active drawdown begins.

Evaporation, outflow, and the natural rhythm of a reservoir can lower water levels before active management begins. As a result, dock conditions may change before Cascade's official drawdown starts.

For homeowners responsible for pulling their own boats, the timing of the seasonal decline is worth keeping in mind.

Two Parks and Membership Access

Tacoma Point and Evergreen Point share two private parks, both accessible only to members of the Tacoma Point Improvement Club. The main park carries the boat launch, a ball court, a picnic area, and parking. The second is a walk-in park, grassy, with no-bank lake access and a playground, used more for an afternoon than a boat trip.

Membership runs about $90 a year on the properties where the fee shows up in listing records, and it buys access to both parks along with the private launch and beach. There's no gate attendant and no front desk. The club's own site describes itself plainly as a completely volunteer organization running on a limited budget, and membership requests are handled almost daily; once approved, a physical key is mailed or hand-delivered to a mailbox rather than held for pickup at a home.

Lake levels can affect boat-launch access in late September. The parks do not close for the season, but access to the water may change as lake levels fall. Checking the gauge can help residents follow those seasonal changes.

The Fishing Doesn't Announce Its Ending Either

The stretch of water around Tacoma Point and Evergreen Point is known locally for smallmouth bass, perch, and carp, and Washington's Department of Fish and Wildlife lists Lake Tapps as open year-round, with good opportunities for largemouth and smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and black crappie, plus tiger muskies that must be released if they're under 50 inches. The department also notes that winter water levels are normally down, which limits boat access at the public launches on the north and west shores.

The same logic applies to the private launch on Tacoma Point, just earlier and less visibly. Right now, in the last full week of September, the water is still deep enough to fish from a boat comfortably. That window narrows every day the gauge keeps ticking down, and it will keep narrowing well before Cascade's official drawdown even begins. Anyone planning one more evening on the water this fall is better off treating this week as the deadline, not November 1.

Sharing Seasonal Updates on The Points

The club's own site references the first all-lake party of the summer as a seasonal marker, the kind of informal event that tells residents the season has properly opened. There is no equivalent published event for closing it. What exists instead are the club's community potlucks, held at the parks with games and the usual mix of neighbors who happen to be around, and an email list residents can join by writing directly to the board.

When the ramp becomes too shallow to use, residents may share that information at a potluck or on the email list. These informal updates can offer a local perspective on changing conditions.

What This Means for Anyone Watching the Water This Week

If you own a dock or a lift on Tacoma Point or Evergreen Point, the practical move right now is to check the gauge rather than rely solely on September 30 or November 1 as the deadline. The lake is already down, and water levels may continue falling before Cascade's active management begins; conditions at the private launch can change as water levels fall.

Checking lake levels can help residents plan around seasonal changes. The Tacoma Point Improvement Club is volunteer-run, and water levels—not a fixed calendar date—shape when the private launch is usable.

If you're weighing what it actually means to own on a stretch of shoreline like this, from how the private amenities work to how the reservoir's operating pattern shapes what your dock does across the year, that's the kind of detail worth walking through with someone who watches this specific lake closely. Kimber Lee Real Estate works Lake Tapps and Bonney Lake year-round, and we're happy to schedule your complimentary consultation whenever you're ready to talk through what a property here actually asks of its owner.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.