Point Defiance Park (Owen Beach + Five Mile Drive)

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Point Defiance Park (Owen Beach + Five Mile Drive)

Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

🥾 Hike · Tacoma

3 hours · Free · No reservation needed

age fit
0–1 yr
★ 4.0
1–3 yrs
★ 4.0
3–5 yrs
★ 4.0
5–10 yrs
★ 4.0
  • 🚗
    About 45 min drive
    From Bellevue · Parking: Free parking at each spot in the park
  • 🍼
    Stroller-friendly
    Flat surfaces — bring the stroller
  • 🌳
    Some shade
    Great on sunny days · Good on cool days · Wind-OK
  • ⏱️
    Typical visit: 3 hours
    Best seasons: Spring · Summer · Fall

Tacoma's 700-plus-acre park, where the zoo is just one corner: Owen Beach's pebble shore has views of boats and Vashon Island, Five Mile Drive winds through old-growth forest with several viewpoints, and there's a rose garden and the reconstructed Fort Nisqually.

💡 Tips
Five Mile Drive is closed to cars on weekend mornings, so you can push a stroller along the inner stretch. The zoo is a separate ticket; better to do it on a separate visit.

What this place offers

✓beach
✓park loop road
✓old-growth forest
✓rose garden
✓playground
✓restrooms
✓picnic

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This weekend's weather in Tacoma

Forecast at the destination itself (coast and hills often differ from home)

🌦️
Sat 10/17
Drizzle · 49–65°F · 50% rain
☁️
Sun 10/18
Overcast · 43–59°F · 2% rain

Location

Tacoma, Washington

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