- Evergreen Beach Trail
This beautiful 1.6 mile trail is located at Evergreen State College. There is a fee to park in the large parking lot on weekdays. There are lots of intersecting trails here, but they all lead to the beach so you can choose your own adventure. The trails start off flat and easy, then as you get closer to the beach you descend downhill. You will hit an incline on the way back up. This is a very popular trail for dog walking and we passed many other on leash dogs.
2. Darwin Creek Preserve
This trail is a 2 mile loop if you take the Wetland Forest Loop trail. It begins as a wide, gravel trail. There is a small, short side trail that leads to a creek. The trail has some small, gradual inclines but nothing crazy. There are a few streams along the trail that make for a very peaceful hike as you listen to the sound of running water. It was very quiet. We went on a weekend and the trail was still not busy. There is one stream crossing on the trail so I recommend wearing hiking boots. There is a gun shooting range nearby so at times you can hear guns firing off. If your dog is afraid of loud noises, this might now be the trail for you. I recommend doing the loop clockwise so that you are rewarded at the end of your hike with with a beautiful view of Lucinda Lake. There is a small beach area by the lake if your dog wanted to wade in and swim. We did not come across any other dogs during the hike.
3. State Capitol and Central Olympia Trail
This is a 4.3 mile loop. It is a mostly paved path along Capitol Lake. The trail essentially connects Heritage Park and Marathon Park, then brings you around a loop around Marathon Pond Park. There is a plethora of thorn bushes along the lake, but there are a few spots that allow you lake access. We passed many runners along this trail.
4. William Ives Trail
This is a 2.3 mile trail that starts at a park and then takes you through the woods, and then finally around a lake. There are two street crossings, but other than that, the trail is wooded. There are two routes around the lake. One trail is higher up on a hill and the other trail is at the base of the lake, which can be a muddier trail. It was very quiet. We didn’t come across anyone on the trail. There is a large rocky beach area by one part of the lake that is perfect if your dog likes to go swimming. There is a large, grassy field behind the playground at the park if you wanted to play some fetch.
5. Frye Cove County Park Loop
This is a short, 1 mile trail located about 20 minutes outside of Olympia in Steamboat at Frye Cove Park. This is a hilly trail with lots of stairs to climb up and down. The trail weaves through a beautiful forest with views of the coast on one side the majority of the time. With all the inclines, it’s a great workout for such a short loop. There is one road crossing on the trail.
6. Grass Lake Nature Park Trail
This is a 1.7 mile trail with one side of the trail newly paved. There are little side trails running off the main paved trail. One cool feature of this trail is a large bridge that crosses over a bog. This is a popular trail for dog walking and we passed lots of friendly dogs on leash. There is also a new parking lot with a good-sized grassy area. If you cross the bridge and then take a left and follow it to the end, the trail will take you around a short loop through the forest that is much quieter and less popular. The other part of the loop is accessed by a trail just before the bridge. This will take you through a well-maintained forest trail that connects back to the new paved trail.
7. Tumwater Hill Park Trail
This is a 1.5 mile trail that begins behind the baseball diamond at an elementary school. It is a well-maintained gravel trail. As the name suggests, the trail is located on a hill, so there are some steep inclines and descents. The hilly forest consists of a small network of gravel trails, surrounded by residential neighborhoods on the outskirts. The hills provide a good workout for such a short trail.
