Fall Color Walks for Families Around the South Sound
Photo:
Japanese Garden at Tacoma's Point Defiance Park
Point Defiance Park, Tacoma
While Point Defiance Park is known as the home of Tacoma’s zoo, it’s a huge park with many gardens and an underused network of trails that are worth exploring. There's even a whole section with epic slides and views to match. Stop at the entrance to look at the changing colors in the Japanese garden by the pagoda. Continue into the park to explore one of the trails. Here, the fall color comes from vine maples that offer a beautiful contrast to the evergreen lushness of the park’s old-growth forest. Be sure to have the kids look up to appreciate the immensity of these giants. Children will also enjoy finding other-worldly-looking mushrooms and fungi.
Find it: 5400 N. Pearl St., Tacoma. Take I-5 to Highway 16 West. Exit at Sixth Avenue, take a left, and then a right onto Pearl. Follow Pearl into the park. Follow the signage for Five Mile Drive, and/or stop at the kiosk near the park entrance for a trail guide.
Length: Five primary trails range in distance from half a mile to just under 5 miles. Marked posts indicate the route. Take note that the outer loop of Five Mile Drive is no longer accessible by car, so trailheads located along this route will require a little extra walking to reach. While none of the trails are difficult, all can be wet and muddy, and you may encounter tree blowdowns.
Photo ops: The duck pond and Japanese garden at the park entrance offer lots of cute places to snap pics. There are several waterfront vistas along Five Mile Drive that are great for wowing out-of-town guests.
Next stop: Wildwood Park
