Day Hike - Point Defiance Park

Meet at 9 AM in the parking area between the tennis courts and the duck pond near the Main Entrance to the Park, at the north end of Pearl Street in North Tacoma.

This is an easy all-season hike close to home, with scenery rivaling wilderness hikes.  We will hike clockwise on the outer (longest) loop trail, marked in blue on the park map and on guideposts.  Enroute, we will pass Ft. Nisqually and three viewpoints overlooking different parts of Puget Sound, before dropping down to Owen Beach for our lunch, where there are covered picnic tables, in the event of inclement weather, and views of a variety of beachgoers in the event of good weather.  After lunch we will return to the cars via the concrete beachfront promenade and should be back between 1 pm and 2 pm, depending on how long we stay at Owen Beach.  There are restrooms near the meeting place (by the duck pond), by Ft. Nisqually, at the Gig Harbor Overlook and at Owen Beach.  No parking pass is required.  Touring the nearby Point Defiance Zoo would be an option after the hike, for those so inclined.  It has an admission charge.