Trip Report
Day Hike - Ruston Waterfront Trail
Cloudy (but not rainy) hike along the Tacoma waterfront
Steven Payne
- Sat, Feb 15, 2025
- Day Hike - Ruston Waterfront Trail
- Ruston Way & Waterfront
- Day Hiking
- Successful
-
- Road suitable for all vehicles
-
Other than a brief beach walk, we hiked the paved Ruston Way Trail from Dune Peninsula to Chinese Reconciliation Park. There is plenty of free parking, potable water, and four flush toilets at Dune Peninsula, and several post-hike eateries at nearby Point Ruston.
I have a love-hate relationship with walking/hiking Ruston Way Trail. It's long been a go-to route for local runners, and a big part of the Tacoma City Marathon and 5Ks and 10Ks organized by Tacoma Parks. (There was in fact a Valentine's Day 5K that morning!) But as you pass the Point Ruston community and join Ruston Way, the paved trail and sections of sidewalk become narrow, and it can get tough to share the path with runners, strollers, dogs and their owners, and the occasional bicycle. There's road noise and exhaust fumes that get worse as the morning progresses, and it's near impossible to hear your fellow hikers when a freight train passes.
The negatives are offset by the views and points of interest: Dalco Passage and Commencement Bay, Vashon Island and Northeast Tacoma/Federal Way, Mt. Rainier and downtown Tacoma, "mystery bike art" and Chinese Reconciliation Park, art installations, and many waterfront eateries. So I try to grin and bear it!
