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If you’ve visited downtown Olympia, WA, you are more than likely familiar with the charming farmer’s market, the eclectic shops, the vast amount of delicious food and local beers and the view of the water.
During our three years living minutes from Olympia we discovered as many easy hikes and places to see as we did new restaurants to try out in the state’s capital. Being from a land-locked state we were constantly in awe of the mountains and water; even in a crowded downtown area filled with concrete and surrounded by buildings.
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There are several short ‘hikes’ and walks you can do nearby and they are surprisingly enjoyable. They are all family, kid and dog friendly so it was great when we had visitors. Some of our frequent stops were Mima Falls (read more here), Tumwater Falls, try the restaurant out, too, Watershed Park, Priest Point Park which we frequently took guests of all ages, Capitol Lake Trail which is a surprisingly great hike with great views of the capital dome before filling your growler, Tolmie State Park, and the Chehalis Western Trail which was right next to our subdivision and offered a great place to walk, run and ruck on gameday weekends.
Just to name a few.
But they mostly revolve around the Budd Inlet: a deepwater shipping channel has been dredged providing access to the Port of Olympia. You can walk the boardwalk and Percival Landing in downtown, watch the sunset over the water while eating supper, check out the houseboats parked at the docks or enter from multiple trailheads. One of the hikes we did near the water was Burfoot Park which welcomes families, sunbathers and dogs alike.
Burfoot Park covers 50 acres of property with 1,100 feet of saltwater beach frontage on Budd Inlet. There are nature and beach trails (beaches in WA=rocks so wear good shoes) with clear views of the State Capitol and the Olympic Mountains. There are also shelters, a playground, a garden and bbq grills so I frequently saw birthday parties and events going on on the lawn.
My husband, dog and I headed out on a gorgeous day for the three-mile trail and to play in the water. We had fun walking through the forest, reading signs as we went down the path and it opened to a rocky beach filled with driftwood, sailboats and others looking for a sunny day out.
There were a few large fallen trees we hopped over to travel further down the beach until we reached a ‘No Trespassing’ sign of private residents. There were some crabs and fish in the water including salmon jumping several hundred feet out. Argo was not a fan of learning to swim in the freezing cold water and we decided to turn around. By this time the water had crept up over the trail a bit and we made a loop back. It was fun to watch the dogs run around in the walks and see the salmon jump by sailboats with the mountains in the background.
To get all of these views only a 10-minute drive from our house and a few minutes walk down to the beach access was incredible. If you’re looking for a casual bite to eat in town we loved The Spar Cafe (McMenamins chain). If you go you HAVE to get their truffle fries, add cajun tots side to your entree and top it all of with, my personal favorite, a Ruby Ale. We also had delicious post-hike pizza and built our own six pack at the Oly Taproom.
If you’re looking for any other suggestions, send me a message for more recommendations!
I hope you have a great time in town and I know we can’t wait to come back up.
Cheers!
Marin
Our promo may be over but we can still help you brand yourself and your business! Just mention this post when we talk and you can get a special surprise.