Sometimes you want to go for a hike...and sometimes you want a scenic drive. Today, I was recovering from several days of walking, but still wanted to enjoy the beauty that Washington has to offer. The Five Mile Drive was a perfect solution-I got to see gorgeous views from the comfort of my car. Of course, there are many ways to enjoy this five mile stretch of road. Cars are welcome (pay attention to times-the road closes to motor vehicles at certain times/days), or you can walk, bike or jog the road. There are several scenic overlook areas along the road, so you can pull off and take a look beyond the road. The whole thing really is beautiful. Drive carefully and slowly. Pay attention to those around you. There's plenty of space for everyone, as long as we all are considerate of each other. And enjoy those views! read more

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One of the many features to Point Defiance Park. Fuve Mile Drive is a five mile loop that takes you further back into the park and where you can get views of the Narrows Bridge and Puget Sound. As you stroll through you will encounter raccoons and deer in which they aren't afraid of you in the slightest. The raccoons look like you should give them a snack which you should not. Even though they may not run from you they are still wild animals and should not be pet or fed human food. When I first moved to the area you could drive Five Mile Drive every time you went to the park practically but in recent times the road is often closed and walking it is encouraged instead. read more

Point Defiance is a very large park and the Five Mile Drive is used to move you through the various attractions. It's set up in 2 parts -inner and outer loop. The inner loop gets you to the beach, zoo, Fort Nisqually, marina, Owen Beach, rose/NW gardens, the Pagoda, and the dog park. Near by parking lots are available. The outer loop will allow you to go out to the peninsula but is closed to vehicles and you must go by foot. Beautiful views and it's protected from traffic so it's an awesome place to walk. Looking for a place to park and the lots are full? General rule of thumb: if ya fits ya sits along the sides. Don't be "that guy" about it though and make sure your vehicle realistically fits! The Drive is paved and easy to follow with great signage. There are many, many trails throughout the peninsula so you can choose your own adventure if you're walking. Pay attention to which trail you're on!! It's a pretty small peninsula so you're not going to get full on lost in the forest or anything, but it could be a long, long way back! read more

Always happy to be able to visit here. :) gorgeous place for a quick drive, or even to bike/run/walk.

It's a rare urban center where you can find the kind of wilderness offered by Five Mile Drive inside the city proper; Tacoma is one city that's fortunately enough to have one. Even if you don't decide to take some time and walk on the trails here, simply driving through the ancient forest with its old-growth trees make visiting Five Mile Drive worthwhile :-) It's not only lovely driving through here; you can also take the time for a walk along the beach. If you decide to do that you'll be rewarded with some nice sights and smells, but be sure to time your visit so it's not high tide. read more

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Just beautiful scenery. Able to do depending on fitness level. You can do small portions, walk the whole thing, or just drive. This time around we chose to drive and still was able to enjoy the beauty. read more

My trips from Seattle to Tacoma are rare. When I do get to visit, I like to make a day of it and try to pack in as much as I can. On this day, my family and I went to the zoo then decided to take a leisurely five mile drive before heading back to Seattle. The ride was peaceful and driving slowly allows everyone to enjoy and respect the scenery. As many have mentioned, there's a lot of wildlife. On our ride we saw raccoons and deer. In case you want to explore further, there are a lot of places to pull over. Better yet, ditch the car and make a full day of it! The view of the water is breathtaking and reminds me of why I love living in the Pacific Northwest! read more

I've lived in Tacoma for my entire 33 years, and this park used to be one of my favorite evening drive spots. Nothing beat driving to the gig harbor, narrows, or bridges lookouts around sunset for the beautiful view. Now, however, you can only drive through the outer loop (with the prettiest lookout spots) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. EVERY day of the week. That's right. No more evening drives through the 5 mile drive. At first I thought this had to be a mistake. What about people who work during the morning or day? Or the disabled who cannot walk miles to the scenic lookouts and have to drive there? To be completely honest I think the hours should be reversed: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. should be the traffic-free hours for pedestrians and cyclists, with Sundays completely traffic free. If the 5-mile drive were open to traffic until dusk just 2-3 days out of the week, I would be giving this place a 5 star review. The gardens are stunning during spring and summer. Owen beach is peaceful and stretches far enough for one to walk for over an hour. But keeping the most scenic areas of the park entirely traffic free on the evenings, every day of the week, reeks of privilege. read more

The five mile drive never really changes but the people who use it do and what used to be a nice scenic slow cruise through a beautiful park has turned into somewhat of a rushed get the heck out of my way racetrack. I visit the five mile drive on occasion to cruise slowly down the one lane road and take in the ambiance of the surroundings. The forest, the wildlife, the sounds of nature oh, and the front bumper of the jerk behind me riding my butt. My advice is that if you don't want to go slow and take in the scenery, then stay out of the five mile drive but it seems that a lot of people now days think that it's a racetrack meant for getting around as fast as possible while not paying any attention to the surreal surroundings. I'd still encourage you to go if you've never been. Especially if you're from out of town. It could be a once in a lifetime experience. There is a lot to see and do. First, you will enter the Pt. Defiance park area where there are beautiful gardens, a Japanese pagoda and a nice size pond usually full of ducks. Then if you choose, you can visit the Pt. Defiance Zoo & Aquarium located just before the five mile drive. Along the drive, there are multiple areas to pull over and take in the scenic views of the Puget Sound and the Tacoma Narrows bridges. There are multiple picnic areas and a couple of playgrounds so the kids can burn off some energy. Along the way, take a turn and wind your way down the hill to Owen Beach. Depending on the time of year, you can enjoy some snacks from the refreshment stand or rent a kayak and go explore the cliffs from the water side. There are BBQ pits available and a large covered picnic area but that is usually reserved for parties. Take a nice stroll down the beach and end up at the boat house and ferry dock where you can enjoy a nice meal at Anthony's Seafood restaurant or take the ferry over to Vashon Island and explore over there. Further on down the drive, you'll get to see a humongous tree that is about 450 thousand years old and towards the end of the five miles are the remnants of the old Never, Never Land and Fort Nisqually museum. I am really disappointed in the state of things currently versus how they used to be when I was younger and I know that it's because of a lack of funding and a lack of general care from people now days however there used to be so much more to see and do. Never, Never Land was an attraction where for a small entrance fee, you could walk through trails and discover storybook and nursery rhyme characters and decorations. There was a large shoe where the Little old woman who lived in a shoe lived. There was a grandfather clock where the mouse ran up the clock. We saw the gingerbread house of the wicked witch from Hansel and Gretel and a lot more. These days, all of that is gone because of a lack of money to maintain it and disrespectful people who broke in and vandalised it. Fort Nisqually is nicer now as a museum but now you have to pay whereas when I was a kid, it was free and we were allowed to enter the buildings and climb up the towers. Those days are gone now. A place called camp 6 used to actually be a day camp for kids before becoming a logging museum and then ceasing to exist altogether over the last few years. They had a cool train ride that would take you through the woods and show you how logging was done at the turn of the century. They had some really cool equipment to see and the train conductor would give you a history lesson along the way. Sadly, that is gone now too. As for the trails, there are tons of them and if you like to hike, this is the place to do it but beware, if you use the trails during the winter, they can get quite muddy and even have many puddles to avoid. It's also a good idea not to be in the trails on really windy days. Large branches as well as entire trees are known to fall quite often during our wind storms so be very mindful of that should you decide to go hiking. For all of the things that this area used to be, it still is a lot of things today. Maybe someday, it will build more attractions and gain the popularity of yesteryear. Maybe not but all the same, it is a nice place to visit. Thank you for reading. read more

A great place to go for a run or a jog or walk. Shoot go for a drive either way you will enjoy yourself here. There is some cars but they are driving slow. The scenery is forest. Green and beautiful. I really enjoyed myself. I'd love to go back over and over. There is plenty of parking in every lot read more

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Love this place! Perfect place to go have a picnic or a nice walk in beautiful scenery. You can walk along the beach, in trails or even in the park. I can't believe this place is free it's epic! Definitely one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I'm trying to upload videos of Owen beach and the first trails which are both so incredibly beautiful but for some reason Yelp is acting up and won't let me :/ read more

Five Mile Drive - Found an awesome Bart while hiking the trails! - Parks Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

This was so cool. My wife is from here and always got to do it, so she showed me it. It was so awesome. So many types of trees plants, wildlife everywhere. Raccoons would come right up to you and you could feed them right from your hands. There's always deer in there. They have beautiful view points that overlook the ocean. Hiking spots! Trails! and they even have a dog park! The zoo is built in the middle of it, and the beach front is right there. It's just an awesome place. We go there everytime we go visit family. It's a must! read more

So beautiful! Amazing views, fresh air, and quiet!! The raccoons were so adorable, and the drive itself was just breathtaking! read more

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Not senior or disabled friendly. You can't drive the route anymore. Too bad it wasn't widely advertised that the *Drive* is GONE. Very disappointed with what was a destination for our visitors. read more

Just moved to the area and wanted to check out the point defiance area. I came across five mile drive on yelp. Decided to check it out. It's a One lane road that offers beautiful photo ops! I love the tree lined road. read more

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A beautiful, scenic road through the forest-- and also the most dangerous attraction at Point Defiance Park. I LOVE the 5 Mile Drive. I've been visiting Point Defiance since childhood, and a trip to the park almost always includes a trip around the point on this paved roadway. What I DON'T love, however, are the irresponsible morons that seem to like to use the Drive as their personal vehicular playground. I've seen drivers pull some really stupid stunts in the park over the years, and occasionally there will be a story in the newspaper about a serious (or fatal) accident that has occurred here. Fortunately these extreme incidents are rare, but what seems to be all too common are the inconsiderate jerks that like to cruise the route as fast as they can, tailgating anyone who gets in their way, or destroying the peaceful atmosphere of the forest with exceptionally loud music or engine noise. For any non-motorized users of the five mile drive, beware: there are drivers here that don't understand (or respect) the concept of the 20 mph speed limit, marked crosswalk, and bike/pedestrian lane. The Five Mile Drive is a dead-end loop through a city park-- there is NO reason to be in a hurry here! If blasting your 'tunes or showing off how loud your Harley, 4x4 pickup, or rice burner can be is your thing, there are more appropriate settings than a forest where others come for peace and quiet. It's really too bad that a minority of assholes can ruin the experience for so many others, when the vast majority of visitors (motorized and non-motorized alike) are here to enjoy the beauty and serenity the park has to offer. Aargh... I get a little upset about this. There are 'safe' times to enjoy 5 Mile Drive, though. From the Metro Parks website: "Five Mile Drive is closed to vehicle traffic every Saturday and Sunday until 1 pm and Monday thru Friday until 10 am to provide the opportunity for pedestrians, runners and cyclists to enjoy this forest experience free from conflict with motorized vehicles." During these times, 5 Mile Drive is definitely a 5-star experience!! read more

Definitely the highlight of my trip to the Seattle/ Tacoma area. It's a perfect day for a 5-mile drive through the beautiful PNW and a mile long hike. We even made a few new friends along the way. read more

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I like how clean the park is kept, and the picnic tables at every lookout stop. Lots of people just sitting in their car, enjoying the scenery. Trails all over, and enough room that it doesn't feel crowded. Beware for the few cars who zoom through here at 35 instead of the posted 20. read more

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Coolest drive ever. They also have stops for view points and for photo opportunities. We came during late october and saw raccons! It waa super cool and they were so cute and fun to watch. The zoo is nearby there too but we didn't go to that. But this place is really cool they also have walking roads and a small hiking road. Pretty nice and makes you feel lile you're in the middle of the woods. From Los Angeles California Will be definitely coming back. read more

Gifted with many places to park along the drive it also has some amazing views. Sometimes a nice, quiet drive with the windows down and sunroof open, is needed after seeing all city. read more

The views during the Five Mile Drive are beautiful. It's a nice peaceful Escape from City life. However the trail was not clearly marked so there were a lot of guesses as to if I was still on the trail. At one point I just parked and decided to walk. read more

I always take my out of town guests here. There is so much to do in the area. The zoo, the beach, dog park, Fort Nisqually, picnic, viewpoints, gardens, flowers, and trails. I appreciate that the road is closed off from motor vehicles in the morning so that the road can be enjoyed by athletes, walkers, and nature observers. read more

A beautiful drive with scenic turnouts. Great for photo ops and to explore. Take your time and wind through. Pull over where you want and park your car, walk around and take the trail offshoots. Enjoy! read more