Jacob's Point is a small preserve on Anderson Island with a 3 mile walking path that illustrates…read moreboth the beauty and the history of the island. There are many stops along the path, mostly to see the Puget Sound and Mount Rainer in the background. I'm always impressed with Mount Rainer because it seems to poke out of the skyline from nowhere. There are certainly Cascade Mountains that border Mount Rainer, but they are not nearly as high and nor are they visible unless you head towards the mountains. There is one stop showing the remnants of one of the first homesteads on the island. The only thing left is the brick chimney. Apparently, it was a hay farm for a few years before the family moved off the island to find work elsewhere. I can't imagine how hard it would've been to have a hay farm on the island. You would essentially have to provide all the food for yourself and figure out how to transport your hay to market. The most interesting part of the trail was the old brickyard. The mud in the area provided good brickmaking material and the cove on the Puget Sound enabled the brickmaker to ship the heavy bricks to buyers elsewhere. Initially, it didn't make sense to me to have a heavy brickmaking facility on a hard to reach island but if your mode of transport is feet away from the facility, it makes more sense. The boats would float into the cove during high tide before settling on to supports at low tide. At that time, they could fill the boat with bricks. The boat would raise off the supports at high tide and head to market. For someone like myself who grew up in the Midwest, it was interesting to see how businesses could use the tides to their advantage. Unfortunately for this particular brickmaking company, the brick market collapsed a few years after they started operation and were forced to shut down.

Although you can map the GPS coordinates, there is no precise address for the park entrance. From…read morethe ferry dock, take Yoman Road south, then when it turns into Eckenstam - Johnson Road (keep left at the Y-intersection) continue south. It's about 2.7-3.2 miles from the dock, depending on how you map it, with the trailhead and small parking lot with signage on the left. Anderson Island is worth a trip just to visit this pretty little trail. It begins by winding through a marsh on a boardwalk, then proceeds through open woods to the chimney and the site of the Jacob family pioneer family. From there, the trail leads to a clean, waterless composting pit toilet. and to some cutbanks overlooking the south side of Oro Bay. At low tide you can explore the kelp-y, pebbly beaches. I heard tell of a sea cave (also mentioned on park websites), but I did not see it for myself. I did however see the sea. The website also warns of being trapped by "sucking mud" and the tides. Certainly, when the tides are coming it, be sure to know where you got down to the beach and keep it in sight, as the banks are steep all around and access points are limited. Even if the tide is in, the end of the point features a stunning view of Mt. Rainier, shining bright, or reflecting brightly, rather. The trail is mostly level with a few bumps, well maintained, and easy to follow.

Last time I visited was in the summer when the water had really receded. It was lovely, but dry…read more This current visit was in the winter so the tide was high. We walked down to the beach and my niece had a fun time scooping up sea life from the sand and she found things like baby crab legs and shellfish so we got to talk about what was in the water. People were kinda standing around or taking pictures since Mt. Rainier is in the distance, since there's nowhere to sit to relax. There are lots of signs telling you to respect private property, so I imagine the residents get frustrated when people wander over the line, but that's what you get if your property is right next to a state park. The path over was nice, with netting on slippery spots and there are a couple of Pokemon Gyms and Pokestops so its a pretty good place to play. Just be mindful that they require you to carry your trash out of the park with you, so there's nowhere to leave your dog poop bags if your pup does his business. We obediently took our stuff with us, but I wonder how many people don't honor the request.

Belted Kingfisher, Heron, Belted Kingfisher, Belted Kingfisher, Belted Kingfisher! And so my…read morebirding went when I visited Tolmie State Park the morning of the 25th of June 2020. I arrived in the 9:00 a.m. hour and parked at the upper parking lot by the entrance to the park. There is a second parking lot further down the road once inside the park that is closer to the beach. By the upper parking lot there is a restroom building, covered picnic area, and abundant picnic tables with grills interspersed in the woods. There is also an area with benches facing the water in an amphitheater-esque seating style. In my exploring this area I found some cool plants including foxglove plants with cusped blossoms. A Goldfinch flitted across my path and made a getaway before I could get a picture of it. Fun to see the state bird in a state park! Making my way down the trail to the beach was quiet, and I was pleased to see that it was high tide when I arrived at the waterfront. Walking along the waterfront I notice what looked like a Kingfisher so I decided to approach and see if it was. Indeed it was! Slowly I waded out in the water along a muddy part and realized the mud was teeming with crabs. I was careful to watch where I stepped so as not to smoosh any of them. Once I reached the Kingfisher (a Belted Kingfisher specifically) it flew off across the spit of land I came across to get to it. I watched where it landed on a tree branch and then followed the Belted Kingfisher. The Belted Kingfisher was along the creek that flows to the Puget Sound at high tide, at low tide the creek dissipates. Another Belted Kingfisher arrived and they both started diving in the water for fish and other food. Turning my head left I noticed a Heron in the water and waded back out in the water to join it. After wading around with the Heron for a while I made my way back towards where the first Belted Kingfisher had perched to watch for food in the water. The tide was going out as I was wading with the Heron and making my way to the perch. The crabs were not happy about this. The ground glistened with movement, not sunlight, and there were 100s to 1000s of tiny crabs running to take shelter under the seaweed, in the mud, and yes trying to pinch my feet and legs. As I neared some crabs they would burrow backwards into the mud, put their pinchers up, and open them... I was careful not to step there. Eventually I made it back to the Belted Kingfisher perch and what did I find?! Not one, but two Belted Kingfishers watching the water!! So very cool. After admiring them for a little bit I started making my way back to my car. The beach and the parking lot by the beach were starting to get busy, so it was my time to go. A perfect morning adventure in the Puget Sound area.

Eagle Island State Marine Park is an excellent little kayaking adventure that only takes a couple…read morehours. It is a gorgeous location, just off Anderson Island, with views of the Olympic Mountains, McNeil Island ("Alcatraz of the Northwest!), and the Key Peninsula. This little island is uninhabited. Nice beaches, jillions of seabirds, seals with their pups, and a short wooded trail to explore. To get their, take the Anderson Island Ferry from Steilacoom, just south of Tacoma. Drive to the old boat launch at the north end of Anderson Island. It's a short paddle there. It was an easy paddle out to and around the entire island. Lots of fun! Here's a great aerial/action video of the island. https://youtu.be/hA6BcJmaqGM Check out this video on Anderson Island https://youtu.be/SzqhN0pg_1Y Learn more about Anderson Island - http://andersonisland.org/

Sequalitchew Creek is a pet friendly and an ideal easy stroll for families. It is a total of 3…read moremiles round trip. Half a mile of it is paved and the remaining mile is rock path. Decline going there and incline on the reverse. You'll see beautiful views of the puget sound at the end. Most of the trail is surrounded by trees. If you decide to go there to watch the sunset, you'll have to use your cell phone flashlight. There is no lighting on the path. Respect the aina (land, earth, environment) and take your trash back with you since there are no trash cans.

Beautiful hiking trail that is only 3 miles in total - out and back with great views of the Puget…read moreSound. Plenty of free parking available and restrooms on site. I would recommend if you are looking for an easy hike. My kids and I enjoyed this trail a lot plus it wasn't crowded at all on a weekday!

This hidden park in the community at the edge of Steilacoom is a real true hidden gem this place is…read morean absolute slice of heaven perfect in every way it has a barbecue grill. It has the beach access. The only hard part is the stairs going down are very very steep and could definitely prevent anyone with a walking disability. there is parking at the top of the beach, but I will definitely be back and this will be a hidden secret that I won't share with many it would be a shame for this to be overpopulated

It's beautiful , tranquil and rocky. Not a lot of people come here I think cause of the fricken…read morestairs! Whew they are steep! I was hoofing down a chair, umbrella, floatie and bag... yikes. Then I had to climb back up ... yikes. Lol Had to say I was the only one for about 1 1/2 hrs then a few more folks. Group with Inflateable paddle boards, few kayak. Not a lot of people sunbathing. Just me haha. Water was cold but on a hot day was inviting. It was also pretty calm at this beach as well so floating was excellent! It was peaceful. I got lucky and hit low tide too. Nice view to Narrows bridge tho too!

Cute, little park located in DuPont. The clocktower actually works and chimes. I've never lived in…read moretowns with a clocktower until I moved to Tacoma and that one was not functional and was eventually burned down via arson. We arrived here right at 3 in the afternoon just a few minutes before and heard the chimes. The structure here is cute and the park is very charming. People still hide painted rocks in parks like Tacoma was so into so it's exciting to see that again as I wonder around here. Definitely thinking of coming back to one of the restaurants I have bookmarked for lunch in this town and dining out here in this very park.

It's a quaint little park smack dab in the heart of DuPont. There's a few cement tables and benches…read moreon one end, and some square wooden seats closer to the post office side. It has a little play area for the kids, and dog bags next to the pathway that runs around the park. The bathroom is clean and well stocked. Outside the bathroom there is even a water fountain specifically for filling water bottles!

I'm glad I took my little doxies with me this trip since there was no one in this dog park, which I…read morekind of expected due to how small the island is. The grass was still dewy and wet although it was like 4 o'clock in the afternoon. My dogs didn't like that so much (highfalutin dogs!!), but after a while they got over it as they saw I was not going to put them back in the car until they made an attempt to run around. Someone from before left some dog toys in the park so I used a ball tosser and surprisingly they went after it, which they don't do when we are at home. Usually they like me to wait on them hand & foot (what a dog owner does sometimes, right?) There was a frisbee on the ground and a squeaky football which they were uninterested in. The park is fenced and double gated so you don't let stray dogs in or out. Although, the fence is kind of short so I'm sure medium to large dogs could just jump over the fence. The last review said no doo bags but there is a station with bags and a small trash receptacle. I couldn't check it since there was no cell signal for me. Cell signal was kind of sparse depending on where you're at on the island

This is the only dog park on the island. A big grassy fully fenced area, No bags, no running water,…read moreso watch out for poop. When I arrived there were no dogs, but I figured my pup could sniff around as a part begal likes to do. Anyway, a nice lady stopped by with her three large dogs, and my pup had a great time running after one, and being chased around. I will go again, when I go to my parents place in the future.

All stars Team DuPont…read more Hey guys, We need to step up our game when it comes to timing. As you've probably noticed, other groups are taking over our field, so we're moving our start time to **9 AM sharp**. We're going to be serious about punctuality--if you're still sitting at home when it's time to play, you might end up sitting on the sidelines instead. Let's lock in, show up on time, and keep our spot. See you all at 9!

Not a bad park. It's located in DuPont and nestled in-between housing developments with walking…read morepaths leading to them as well as more meandering ones to explore the park and the nearby Memorial Trail if you are looking for a longer walk. This park covers the necessities as it has playground equipment and areas to play ball games. I didn't necessarily find anything too terribly unique about this park as far as sightseeing goes but it's still a very tranquil place to spend time at.

It's not often we are in Steilacoom but when we are and we are close to downtown we have gone over…read moreto Pioneer Orchard Park. It's a fairly small park and there aren't a lot of park amenities but that's not really the purpose of having multiple offerings for activities. What this park is best for is to relax and take in the view. Here you can view Puget Sound and sit in a swinging chair and just absorb the scenery. To the south is the small ferry that will take you to Anderson Island and then more towards the north but not far north is McNeil Island and then further north is Chambers Bay. This is a well maintained park and so you can enjoy that as well but the main draw to this special little park is definitely the view.

Nice park with a swing and an apple tree that I got to show my granddaughter and she was in awwww…read more The views here are spectacular! great for a nice family day outing and picnic. They have several parking spaces around the park. The Historic Town of Steilacoom, Washington - Incorporated 1854 Established as a National Historic District in 1974 They have couple restaurants and coffee shops so quite and nice area