Fall Color Walks for Families Around the South Sound

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge offers excellent, all-season hiking just north of Olympia. In addition to fall colors, you can peep seasonal wildlife. In the fall months, see if your children can spot wintering songbirds, peregrine falcons and bald eagles. The visitor center, open Wednesday through Friday, is small but has a number of interesting exhibits as well as binoculars to borrow. Kids can also participate in the free Junior Wildlife Manager program and explore the playground.

Find it: 100 Brown Farm Rd. N.E., Olympia. The refuge is about 20 miles south of Tacoma and 10 miles north of Olympia. Take Exit 114 from I-5. The cost is $3 for four adults to enter the refuge; children ages 16 and younger enter free.

Length: There is a level, 1-mile boardwalk with four additional spur trails of just a tenth of a mile to 1.5 miles in length. Kids will like the viewing platforms. It can get slick and surprisingly chilly here. The last 700 feet of the boardwalk trail close in mid-October through the end of January when it is duck hunting season. Dogs, running and sports are not allowed. Read more information on the website.

Photo ops: Get shots of the kids strolling the boardwalk and looking through their binoculars.

Next stop: McLane Creek

^{Image credit: Jim Culp/Flickr CC}