Tacoma Point Defiance_02

Tacoma Time

Hiking, Beaches, Gardens, and more at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma

Idyllically located on the shorelines of Puget Sound, Tacoma bustles with abundant outdoors, a lively urban center, and the beautiful Ruston Way Waterfront, where you can enjoy 2 miles of paved waterfront trail with postcard scenery. Luminescent Mount Rainier casts its ethereal beauty across the Salish Sea here, with the Olympic and Cascade Mountains adding to the impressive skyline.

Ruston Way connects downtown to one of America’s preeminent urban parks: Point Defiance Park. It’s hard to overstate the wonders that sprawl in this 760-acre oasis surrounded by Puget Sound and filled with hiking trails, beaches, and wildlife like bald eagles and harbor seals.

There’s a zoo and aquarium (with polar bears!), and seven botanical gardens, including the tranquil Japanese Garden colored pink in spring with seasonal cherry blossoms and fragrant with rhododendrons. (Tip: The Point Defiance Flower & Garden Festival happens June 1–2, 2024.)

Feel like you’re in a remote national forest as you meander quiet roads dappled in sunbeams filtering through the trees…it’s hard to believe this is an urban park! Or park you vehicle (all parking is free) and go on a hike amid a combination of lush green ferns, hulking Douglas firs, and western red cedars.

Owen Beach is a prime spot to spend an afternoon relaxing and strolling the waterside in search of seals. Ferries, kayaks, and boats cruise the mountain-mirroring waters.

Point Defiance Park Directions

Eat + Drink: Tacoma’s got lots of tasty eats. One of the best places for fresh and delicious seafood is the Fish Peddler restaurant on the Foss Waterway. If their outdoor patio is open, take a table there for beautiful views. The lobster roll sandwich, fish and chips, and clam chowder are some of the most flavorful you’ll ever eat.

Quench your craft beer thirst at 7 Seas Brewery and Taproom. As the first craft brewery in Washington to can their beer (yes, that was once a novel idea!) today 7 Seas is like the “Cheers” of Tacoma.

Located in the historic Heidelberg Brewery facility (where 7 Seas brews Heidelberg Premium Lager), this popular place has everything from vintage ales to sours and hazy IPAs. You’re likely to find your new favorite beer here. And if not, they’ve got great hard cider too (and some genuinely cool swag).

Travel Tacoma

Visit Washington State

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View
  2. Waterfalls and Wine Pours

    Cooler temps, green hills, and the return of our magnificent waterfalls! This family-friendly 2-mile hike at Uvas Canyon County Park in Morgan Hill is a great way to get the most out of a short hike post-rain.

    View
  3. Woman hiker is climbing up the ladder in the Steep Ravine section of the Dipsea Loop Trail on Mount Tam

    Misty on Mount Tam

    Mount Tam’s 3.9-mile round-trip Steep Ravine and Dipsea Trail Loop weathers the wets and wilds with some confidence, sheltered in parts by redwoods, and wowing with a waterfall.

    View
  4. Mile-Long Cataract Club

    In winter after heavy rains, the north flank of Mount Tam glows with flows. The nearly mile-long series of waterfalls—Cataract Falls—transforms into a supercharged spectacle. Starting at Alpine Dam, a 1.6 mile (one-way) narrow trails threads through redwoods and ferns along Cataract Creek.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Peace Labyrinth

    Hidden in LA’s historic West Adams district, the Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens is a welcome respite from the norms of urban noise.

    View
  2. Weekend Sherpa Podcast: Take It Outside

    Adventure for your earbuds. What's new in the world of the outdoors? Listen to Weekend Sherpa co-founders discuss local hikes, beaches, bike rides, camping spots and all kinds of travel and adventure in California and beyond!

    View
  3. Hikers sitting on a large rock slab next to Three Sisters Falls in Cleveland National Forest Southern California near Julian

    Three Sisters

    Good things come in threes at this hike to a lovely trio-tiered waterfall in Cleveland National Forest. The 4.25-mile out-and-back hike rambles among rolling hills, with rocky mountain views as switchbacks take you down to a lush canyon and the falls.

    View
  4. People gathered around a tree at an LA Park as part of the Tree Tour led by Stephanie Carrie

    LA's Tree Tour

    Los Angeles is famous for its iconic palm trees but did you know that LA is home to one of the most diverse urban forests in the world? With over 1,000 different tree species lining its streets, LA offers a unique urban canopy waiting to be explored. One of the best ways to discover it is by joining a Tree Tour

    View