Allen Cox - Best Easy Day Hikes Tacoma

Best Easy Day Hikes Series

Best Easy Day Hikes Tacoma

Allen Cox

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Every effort has been made by the author and editors to make this guide as accurate and useful as possible. However, many things can change after a guide is publishedtrails are rerouted, regulations change, facilities come under new management, etc.

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Thanks for your input, and happy trails!

Copyright 2010 by Morris Book Publishing, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

FalconGuides is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

Maps by Off Route, Inc. Morris Book Publishing, LLC

Project editor: John Burbidge

Layout Artist: Kevin Mak

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cox, Allen. Best easy day hikes, Tacoma / Allen Cox. p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-4930-0568-0

1.HikingWashington (State)Tacoma RegionGuidebooks. 2. Tacoma Region (Wash.)Guidebooks. I. Title.

GV199.42.W22T334 2010

917.797'788--dc22

2010001410

The author and Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

Contents

The Hikes

Acknowledgments

First I would like to extend my appreciation to all who advocate for sensible land management and the conservation of public lands and wild habitats. Without their work, few places such as the ones included in this guidebook would be set aside for the rest of us to enjoy.

I would like to thank the land management agencies responsible for the trails included in this guidebook for their cooperation and assistance: Metro Parks Tacoma, City of Federal Way, Pierce County Parks and Recreation, Pierce County Chambers Creek Properties, Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington State Parks, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, and the US Army Corps of Engineers.

My sincere appreciation goes out to my editor, Scott Adams, and the outstanding team at Globe Pequot Press for their guidance and clarity in helping me shape this guidebook.

Lastly, I am grateful to Robert Pruett, Roger Ward, and Dana Price, my dear friends and hiking companions, who know how to appreciate an easy day hike better than anyone. Without them, researching this book would have required many lonely hours on the trail.

Introduction

The Landscape from Sound to Summit

With 42 miles of Puget Sound shoreline within the Tacoma city limits and foothills rising to mountain peaks beyond, the Tacoma area encompasses widely diverse types of terrain. A large part of the city sits on a peninsula extending into south Puget Sound. At the tip of the peninsula, a vast urban forest has been preserved as one of the citys environmental and recreational treasures. Outside the city, wildlife refuges, river and farm valleys, small towns and suburbs, and wooded hills make up the greater Tacoma area, with the second highest peak in the Lower 48 a near and awesome presence about an hours drive to the southeast.

What does this landscape do for recreational opportunities in and around the city? If you guessed boating, sailing, swimming, scuba diving, bicycling, jogging, climbing, skiing, and even parasailing, youd be correct. But lets not forget about hiking.

Many who call this area home love to hit the trail and take out-of-towners along on the walk. Networks of trails in and around the city offer a variety of settings and terrains, from urban waterfront hikes with stunning views of the sound and islands to quiet treks through remote wilderness areas to rails-to-trails routes built on retired railroad beds linking many of the areas towns.

With this kind of variety, theres a trail in the Tacoma area to suit every ability, and all have one thing in common: a close-up view of nature. This guidebook has attempted to select the Tacoma areas best easy day hikes.

Tacoma-Area Boundaries and Corridors

For the purposes of this guide, the best easy day hikes are located in Tacoma, Pierce County, northern Thurston County, and southern King County. Each hike is confined to no more than a 75-minute drive from downtown Tacoma under normal traffic conditions.

I-5 is the principal north-south artery in western Washington; Tacoma is situated roughly halfway between Seattle and Olympia on this interstate. Highways 7, 706, 512, and 410 are the main routes connecting Tacoma to the Cascades and Mt. Rainier. Highway 16 heads west across Puget Sound to the Kitsap Peninsula via the Narrows Bridge; however, none of the hikes in this book are located across Puget Sound or on any of the islands west of Tacoma. Driving directions to the trailheads are provided from either downtown Tacoma or from I-5.

Weather

With four distinct seasons, few extremes, and an average of fifty-eight days of clear, sunny days per year, Tacoma generally enjoys a cool, temperate climate. Like Seattle, the city has earned a reputation as a soggy spot, but actually only receives about 39 inches of annual rainfall.

Tacoma is situated in the Puget Sound Basin between the Olympic and Cascade Ranges with 14,410-foot Mt. Rainier only an hour away. Clouds move in from the Pacific and can remain for long stretches. When it rains, the Tacoma area tends to get soaked with protracted periods of drizzle. The rainiest seasons are late fall and winter, when strong Pacific storms occasionally blow through.

Theres no denying that when the sun comes out in western Washington its cause for rejoicing, but the regions cloudy, damp days possess their own beauty too. The forests glisten and come alive. Fog and mist shroud the hilltops and define contours otherwise not seen. The air is fresh, with grit and dust washed away. With the right gear, you can enjoy the local trails whatever the weather.

Part of being prepared for your hike is checking the weather forecast. If weather conditions are potentially hazardous, which is rare, postpone your hike. If weather conditions are favorable to a safe experience on the trail, enjoy yourself, rain or shine.

Wildlife

Marine wildlife, birds, and woodland animals share the spotlight with scenery on trails in and around Tacoma. From deer, bald eagles, and an occasional red fox in Point Defiance Park to goldeneyes performing mating rituals in Commencement Bay, its hard to take a hike in the area without observing wildlife. The Tacoma Nature Center, operated by Metro Parks Tacoma, and the US Fish and Wildlife Services Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge are hubs of wildlife education in the region, and this guidebook includes trails at both locations.