Tolmie State Park
Explore a small trail network on the Nisqually Reach
Quick Facts:
Location: Lacey Land Agency: Washington State Parks Distance: 3.0 miles of trails Elevation Gain: up to 225 feet Contact: Tolmie State Park Notes: Discover Pass required; dogs permitted on leash: Hours: April 20-September 20: 8 a.m to dusk September 21-April 19, Wed—Sunday 9 a.m.-dusk S
Recommended Guidebook: Urban Trails Olympia (Mountaineers Book)
Access: Take Exit 111 on I-5 and drive north on Marvin Road for 3.6 miles. Turn right onto 56th Ave and continue .5 mile bearing left onto Hill Street. Proceed 0.4 mile and turn left into Tolmie State Park. Continue .4 mile to 2nd Parking Area and trailhead.
Good to Know: Kid-friendly, dog-friendly, snow-free winter hike, Practice Leave No Trace Principles, beach walking
Located on a peninsula on the Nisqually Reach north of Olympia, 105-acre Tolmie State Park is a popular destination with scuba divers. But despite its compact size, Tolmie harbors 3 miles of trails making it a great place for hikers, walkers and runners, too. Trails lead to a small ravine, coastal bluff, lush cedar groves, a small creek, and a sandy spit.
From the park’s second parking area a handful of trails depart. Explore all of them and create your own loops, figure-eights or out and backs. Two short trails—one utilizing a bridge over a lagoon heads to a spit offering nice beach walking. Near the picnic shelter the Sandy Beach Trail takes off north along the lagoon ending at Sandy Point. During a low tide you can walk the beach here, too. And when the sun is out enjoy a wonderful view of Mount Rainier.
The Four Cedars Trail takes off from the picnic shelter and makes a grand loop of the park’s uplands returning to the second parking area. It’s a great 1.9 mile rolling route that dips into a small ravine and travels over a small bluff and hillside. The vegetation is lush and you’ll certainly pass more than four cedars, but there are 4 (or more) big ones. There are a few big firs too.
The Twin Creeks Trail travels to the 4 Cedars Trail offering an option for shorter loops. It’s a nice little trail traveling through a lush ravine and crossing over both of the creeks. There are some big cedars along this trail, too. Other trails in the park include a short spur off of the 4 Cedars Trail to Sandy Point Road and one from the first parking lot to the shore. And who was Tolmie? Doctor William Fraser Tolmie was a physician, botanist and fur trader who spent 16 years with the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Nisqually across the reach in what is now Dupont. He is generally regarded as the first non-native to step foot in what is now Mount Rainier National Park. Yep, Tolmie Peak is named for him, too.
Tolmie State Park is one of the featured destinations in my best-selling Urban Trails Olympia (Mountaineers Book). For more details on this hike and others (including many not found in other guides), pick up a copy of this book today!
