We’ve been busy, busy preparing the garden, planting, and doing some yard maintenance, so in order to get our hikes in we cast our glances to more urban settings. Lucky for us, we live next to a few awesome area parks with trail systems. So we headed on over to Point Defiance to do the Outer Loop Trail. All trails link here: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/washington/point-defiance-park-outer-loop

For what is, essentially, a public park next to a zoo/aquarium, Point Defiance is impressive. The trail system takes you around to multiple viewpoints, past beautiful plant life (don't worry he found it on the ground, we don't pick plant life), including a few manicured gardens, and there’s a park to bribe your kids with within walking distance too! 

We enjoyed a little time by the beaches (we lucked out and caught this trail right before portions of it closed for construction), saw Vashon, Narrows bridge, the mountain ranges, eagles, and so, so many blooming early wildflowers. So often hikes with children can be stressful to prepare for/pack for so this was a nice change of pace since we were in a public park. It was just...relaxing. I highly recommend it for an easy, restful hike or if you’re a beginner just starting out and would like something to dip your toe into the hiking world. 

 

It is rated as moderate on all trails...I honestly have no idea why. This is a very easy hike. If you can walk 5.5 miles, then you can do it. A bit muddy in areas, but overall fantastic. 

For this hike, I chose to donate to Salish Cancer Center whose vision we can all get behind, a world without cancer. They are listed as a tribal entity by the Pullyallup Tribe’s website and offer treatment that includes Native Wellness Outreach. If you would also like to donate, you can do so here: https://www.salishcancercenter.com/donate-today/

Here you can find the history of the Pullyallup Tribe in their own words: http://www.puyallup-tribe.com/ourtribe/