Love this trail so much. During my time in Olympia I found it highly convenient to bike it to the…read moretarget plaza. Loved the highway overpasses as well. Highly recommend this trail.

The trail is lovely! be careful sometimes the concrete can…read morebe alittle bumpy in certain spots It tends to be VERY busy on some days and popular times but everyone is very considerate Sometimes you get to see people on horses

Well this trail is cute. I had avoided going on the trail because usually I am in the area at night…read moreand there aren't any lights down on the trail at night so it's kind of spooky because you don't know what's lurking down below. I parked at the West Bay park and walked up and over to the trail. I did like that the trail has direct access to water. The land next to the water wasn't too muddy or loose where your shoes might get stuck either, so that was nice. As there is nothing preventing your from walking up to the stream, watch your kids to make sure they don't fall in. The trail is just wide enough for a stroller, but it's uneven in sections and has steps and bridges so be aware of that. I think the stream is feed by water that runs off the streets as there are large black plastic tubes running down the hillsides carrying street water to disperse into the stream. I guess that's why it's important to watch what you throw into the gutters and streams. Even though this trail is short there are no shortage of inclines, stairs, bridges, and declines. It's a lot of variety in a short stretch. Although the sign says no running there were several people running or with their dogs. At the end of the trail furthest away for West Bay there are steps that lead up to a bus station just in case you're trying to catch the bus. Overall, it's a cute & short trail which may be just enough to get your heart pumping.

This is a super short trail, less than a mile round trip, but a nice way to escape the heat of the…read moreday and enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. I parked for free at West Bay Park and crossed the main road at the pedestrian walkway to find the trailhead. There is a bench at both ends of the trail as well as one other at the halfway point. Signs at both ends clearly indicate the rules of the park including leashed dogs allowed; but no jogging is permitted. Seriously? I'm not sure why that last one is an issue. There were very few people, mostly women of all ages, that I saw on the trail, but perhaps the no jogging rule was implemented because the path is narrow and could be slippery when wet. I met two leashed dogs on trail with their responsible owners. The trail winds down from the road at both ends and follows a creek bed. There are bridges, retaining walls, wood planks, steps and dirt path that make it easy to follow this trail from start to finish. You will be surrounded by large trees throughout that provide a canopy blocking out the sun and heat of the day. At a few points, you can see water trickling through the brook below. I imagine that it is more powerful during and after a few days of rain. I could hear the stream and birds squawk. This easy trail basically offers a nice, short stroll through the woods to breakup the monotony of the day.

Was on a drive from Portland to Tacoma, and I need to stop and stretch my legs so I found this…read moreshort hike right off the freeway and it is wonderful for a nice break. You can hear the traffic on the five freeway, but you are in the woods And you are able to get off and take a short hike without getting too far from your trip. I'd recommend this stop to anyone that needs to get out and enjoy the woods. Trail is very well-maintained and I haven't seen a soul. Old growth forest, all surrounding me. And while you're here, go see the state capital of Olympia.

It's a short, paved trail that has bikers, pedestrians, and pups making their way around. Beautiful…read morescenery, especially when there's snow. If you squint you can see some of the homeless camps in the distance and sometimes you'll see a bag of abandoned clothes or a transient sitting near the entrance or a broke down car with a homeless couple sitting in it so it can be a little sketch and you don't want to go alone. In spite of that, the place is lovely.

The city has updated this trail by extending it to the Nisqually. It's a bit more shaded because of…read morethe tree line which is great in the summer. Flat walking trail and great area for exercising.

This is a very easily walkable 1.1 mile trail that leads to a spawning ground for wild chum salmon…read more The trail is very well marked and level. I visited during mid December, so there were still a handful of salmon making their way upstream and spawning in the gravel beds. There's a little footbridge spanning over the stream and so you can get a good look at the fish swimming without being tempted to wade into the water itself (which is highly, highly discouraged since it's very easy to crush fish eggs and disrupt the migration). I would describe this as a multisensory experience as you can see the fish, hear them splashing in the water...and smell the dead fish. I wouldn't advise going if you have a sensitive nose! This was a cool experience otherwise.

What a gem in our back yard! Easy, flat well maintained…read moretrails, good for the whole family. No bikes allowed so safe for the little ones. A bird watcher's paradise any time of the year. Presently, lots of ducklings swimming amongst the water lillies that are in bloom. Lots of old timber and vegetation to walk through In the fall, spawning salmon in the creeks that have look-out platforms for your viewing Swimming in the main pond are beaver and other aquatic animals. A couple of modern outhouses that are fairly well maintained too. And for the price of a Discover Pass ($35 annually that covers 2 cars) you can visit 7 days a week. You can also buy a day pass on line. The penalty for no pass is quite expensive - $99 !

Gorgeous hidden gem. Not a long hike but definitely steep. Your quads will feel it. It's on a…read morehillside so you're going mostly up or mostly down depending on where you start, and it has a few turns you can take to mix it up. Kids and dogs will love it. Great workout and SO beautiful. Huge ferns and maple trees, moss, mushrooms, snails, etc. Thank you to the first reviewer (Chris) for your description, this is a perfect little workout, and easy access from west Olympia.

Local walking trails on the southwest portion of Tumwater Hill. Access from the north or "top" of…read moreTumwater Hill Elementary School or from Ridgeview Loop in between some of the homes; enter from the south or "bottom" of the hill from Vista Loop SW, just off Crosby Blvd, near 2 lone homes. Open all year long, it's a step into the wilderness amidst this suburban community. It's kid & dog friendly too. I've spied rabbits, deer, salamanders, mushrooms & toads along the trails at different parts of the year. Ferns, evergreens & big leaf Maple trees line the well defined walking trails.

The capital state forest is a huge state forest by any measure. It's geared towards recreation and…read moreconveniently positioned just south of Olympia. The best set of mountain bike trails are 15 minutes drive into the forest. My wife and I explored them once on foot and were only able to see a small segment. There were a fair number of mountain bikers enjoying the trails. The drive to the trail is part pavement, part dirt. As you drive along a dirt ridge and start to think that you are lost, it actually means you're getting close. There are a handful of other trail networks surrounding the state forest, but these seem to be focused for off-road motorcycle use. I wouldn't use them on busy weekends but they are great hiking trails on a weekday evening. Off-road motorcycling seems to be a gear intensive sport and not one easily managed quickly after work. A late summer hike might get dusty, but the views get progressively better the farther you go up. Also, these trails only appear manageable for experienced motorcyclists. That might be another reason I only saw one motorcycle at the beginning flat section and none farther up. There is one mountain biking trail network on the northern side of the state forest near the road. Unfortunately, it is downhill only. I huffed and puffed my way up part of it and was passed by a group of mountain bikers heading up together with their bikes in a pickup truck. This seemed to be the best method. I slowly walked down on the intermediate trail to test the difficulty and confirmed that it was beyond my ability. The trails in Washington generally skew towards the higher end of the difficulty level, probably because the mountains are so steep.

Dear God!!!! Camped at Margaret Mackenney campground in capital Forest where if you have a…read moreDiscover pass keep this in mind for later, you can stay for a total of seven nights for free so that's a great resource and I really appreciate it and I do have a Discover pass and I am staying here for four nights on my way to somewhere else. that being said, the other people camped here most of them are being very loud blasting all different kinds of music that you can literally hear clear on the other side of the campground, I have that going on three sides of me, one of the groups of people have five or six dogs who keep getting in big fights with each other and then trying to attack other dogs as they're walking past with their owners. Kids in the campsite next to me were up half the night, talking really loud and I could hear them from INSIDE my hard sided camper. There's a guy in a battered minivan with plastic for windows camped across from me that looks like he's selling drugs because other people have pulled up and he got out and they exchanged something and then the other people went on their way right away so there's that shady aspect going on. And there are people driving through here all night long!!! if I did not have a hard sided camper, I would not be able to stay here due to the noise at night, especially. This could be such a peaceful place if people would respect it. And the other thing is the camp host? Here is so deaf that he cannot even tell what you're saying to him, I tried to talk to him and he kept saying what??? so good luck with the Campos being able to hear if people are causing noise and fractions. What a joke. and by the way, there are people camping here without a Discover pass. Tons of young people with kids, this is the kind of place where trailer trash lowlifes come with her numerous kids to teach the next hopeless generation of little snot nose, assholes how to camp. And I'm very nice positive person the fast majority of the time it takes a lot to get me in this kind of mood, would not stay here if I were you.

Good walk, but not what I'd call a "hike." There are some small lakes, a few modest waterfalls, and…read moresome second+ growth trees. There is a small parking lot. Trails might be the most clearly marked I've ever seen, but again, this is a minor trail, which you couldn't get lost on if you tried.