Dash Point State Park

Trip

Day Hike - Dash Point State Park

Easy/moderate 6 mile morning hike at Dash Point State Park. Enjoy a wilderness experience in an urban setting, with lunch at a picnic table overlooking Puget Sound with a view of the shipping lanes and Maury Island. Finish by 1 PM.

  • Easy/Moderate
  • Moderate
  • Mileage: 6.0 mi
  • Elevation Gain: 650 ft
  • Pace: 2.5 mph

Meet by the restrooms at the beach just north of the park's main parking lot with boots on and ready to have our pre-hike talk at 9:30 am sharp.

The main entrances to the park are opposite each other on Highway 509 (Dash Point Road SW). The Day Use entrance is to the North of Highway 509 and the Camping entrance is directly opposite on the South side of Highway 509.
We will be using the Day Use entrance. As soon as you enter the park, turn Left and go down a long hill towards the beach. At the end of this road is the main parking lot. At the North end of this parking lot is a short path to the beach that passes through a tunnel under the road. We will be meeting near the restrooms that are by the beach.

A Discover Pass is required. We should be finished by 1 PM.

The route is a bit hilly, so hiking poles are useful.

We will hike 6 of the 13 miles of forested trails in this 400 acre state park on a loop route, where we can have a wilderness experience close to home.

Towards the end of our loop, we'll take in the view of Puget Sound while eating our lunch at a picnic table with a view of the shipping lanes and Maury Island. There is a restroom at the lunch location.

The hike is almost entirely through wilderness, so we can do party separation bathroom breaks as needed, at any of multiple trail junctions.

Each car will need to display the Discover Pass.

Although we will stop at the midpoint of the hike for a short break, this is not a nature walk or a bird watching hike, and thus we will attempt to maintain a pace of around 2.5 mph so that participants get a bit of a workout.

This hike will follow the Healthy Washington Phase and the Mountaineers hiking guidelines for COVID-19 that apply on the date of this trip.
Participants who are not fully vaccinated (Pfizer & Moderna two shots + 2 weeks or J&J one shot + 2 weeks) are expected to wear a mask when we meet up and on the trail when it’s not possible to keep a minimum of 6 ft. distance from others. Please do not register if you are unwilling to meet this expectation.

Route/Place

Dash Point State Park


Roster
Required Equipment

Required Equipment

The Ten Essentials

  • Navigation
  • Headlamp
  • Sun protection
  • First aid
  • Knife
  • Fire
  • Shelter
  • Extra food
  • Extra water
  • Extra clothes
Trip Reports