I can't believe there is only one week left of the summer season. The weather has already begun to shift. What I believe to be the perfect hiking weather, is upon us!
After a summer of not being able to get out much, my family and I finally got out the week before school started and found some great kid friendly "hikes", right here in Tacoma! I love being out in nature, but I don't love a long drive in the car with the kids, to get to said nature. You can probably relate, and that's why I wanted to share these three kid-friendly nature walks, with you!
First, we have the Tacoma Nature Center at Snake Lake.
Despite growing up in Tacoma, I had never been to Snake Lake before. We will definitely be going back!
The trails were well maintained and there are maps along the way so you can know where you are at on the trails. The viewpoint on Viewpoint Loop was great for being right in the middle of the city, which you could almost forget that you were in fact in the city. We found yummy blackberries along the way, and even spotted some wildlife.
Once we were done getting our steps in, we let the kids play in the Discovery Pond, a nature themed playground right there at the nature center. We didn't actually go into the nature center, but maybe next time!
Next up is Puget Creek Natural Area / Puget Park.
Puget Creek Natural Area was a hidden gem to me. I can't believe I didn't even know this place existed my whole life.
We parked in the Puget Park parking lot and took the Proctor Street Trail down to the main trail. The main trail is wide and gravel and will take you into eyesight of the waterfront! We definitely walked down to the waterfront to get more steps in. On our way back, before making the trek back up the steps of the Proctor Street Trail, we headed to the giant overhead bridge that is Proctor Street. We chose not to go further, but next time we will!
After we reached the top of the Proctor Street Trail, we hit the Puget Park playground, which was nicely shaded. The kids love experiencing new playgrounds and didn't want to leave. (Sorry no photos.)
Last, but not least there is Titlow Park.
Now Titlow I knew about but had kind of forgotten about. It has so much to offer! We started with the Lagoon Loop and then cut over to the beach and did the Hidden Beach Trail. We ended up taking a side trail that took us to the road, but it was fine. We walked back down to the playground and let the kids play. Sadly, I did not take any pictures while out on this excursion.
For more information about any of these parks or to discover more like them, head on over to the Metro Parks website.
Have a park or trail for me to check out? Please let me know in the comments!
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