Coppermine Cascade Park — Attraction in Hampstead

Not sure what the expectations were of individuals who are writing such negative reviews. Its a lake. Not some 5 star beach resort with crystal clear water. Also, its stupid to rate a facility on their patrons. Keep your opinions of patrons to yourself and rate the safety, beach cleanliness, staff behaviors, etc. Pros: -I was pleasantly surprised by the sandy bottom. Most swimming lakes I have visited have muddy and mucky lake bottoms. I felt that it was safe. There were 1-2 lifeguards who stood at the middle of the swimming area and there were a few on the docks manning the jumping platform and slides. You have to pass a swim test in order to use the jumping platforms and yes they do refuse to allow some people. We had an 8 year old with us who did not pass. -The tables that lined the ledge overlooking the beach/lake were well covered with trees/shade which was a nice treat when eating lunch after being in the sun and lake. -Staff were very friendly

Cons: -Very pricey and because you pay before you can see the parking lot I can see how that would pose a problem. Also, I think it's robbery to charge for a one year old. They could easily bump up the prices on their food and decrease the admission rate a little. Be prepared to walk up and down a VERY steep hill from the parking lot to the lake. -Beach size is small but not small enough to deter me from going again -Grills are VERY small -Bathhouse near lake has only 1 shower, no lights in the shower, and you have to pull on a string for the water to flow. This makes rinsing your toddler off very difficult.

Advice for potential visitors: -Bring a wheeled cooler and a wheeled beach cart (the steep hill) -Someone to help you bathe your children because of the string you have to hold for water to flow -water shoes if you...

My family visits cascade lake once every year and this year was by far the worst experience ever! We came with 18 people and in 2 hours, I was assaulted by a life guard, my autistic son attempted the swim test and was denied the chance to even complete it based on the life guard stating his arms did not come high enough out of the water on EVERY stroke and despite several witnesses who stated his arms were infact clearing the water every stroke, he was denied the chance to try again, and then I was insulted by a life guard who told me I was a bad mother for not accompanying my 13 year old while he took the test even though I was in the water with my 3 year old at the time. My 10 year old nephew was denied the chance to even attempt the swim test because the same life guard did not believe he was over 8 years old. That same life guard told me he did not recognize me or my family and therefore it was not his problem if we had a good time or not. When I asked to speak to a supervisor I was informed he was the supervisor!! What kind of people do they have working here? At one point a man was struggling in the water and my 2 brothers saved the man because the lifeguard that was attempting to save him was too slow while she did the doggy paddle to get to him and then she barely made it back to the dock and had to be helped up by 2 other lifeguards. No one in my family will ever come here again!! It used to be such a nice place, now it is just shamefully a waste of a 45...

It isn't bad. But for the money, the Cascade lights is overpriced. The playground and obstacle course were both fun for my kids and has a nice large collection of inflatables and a fun little bubble snow machine. The light walk starts out as a 100 yard series of advertisement displays and then some cool light-tunnels. The singing trees are a cool display, but the script and voice actors sound like bad local theater. The worst part of the light walk for my family was that the walk out makes you walk through a cookies and milk stand (which was $5 for a school milk and a couple of cookies). The reindeer "eye-spy" is just a collection of white-light frame deer behind a fence with signs to tell you what to look for (a deer with backwards antlers, a crab... Etc). It did not capture my kids attention at all (they are 5 and 2). Everything else is pay to play, on top of the already steep-priced admission; throwing axes, photo booth, posed pictures. For what admission is, it feels like more should be included in the price. The parking lot is all grass with no walkways, so it was a still muddy mess a few days after a rain storm. I saw cars and strollers getting stuck. In all, only do it if you get a deal through partner sites or just really love being overcharged for some mediocre...