From June 2015 to December 2016 I had the opportunity to work with the State Department of Health in Olympia, WA. This was an area I hadn’t explored much so each week I looked for a new place to visit and go for a walk.
The campus around the State Capitol is filled with beautiful gardens, a walking path around Capitol Lake and excellent vista points.
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Capitol building
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Dahlia garden
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Capitol
The Mima Mounds are right outside of Olympia. They are low dome-like mounds with uncertain provenance. There are walking paths and a tower for a wide vista.
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Mima Mounds
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Mima Mounds
Priest Point park has walking paths, a rose garden and a saltwater trail.
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Trails
Millersylvania Park has boating, great walking trails and lots of camping opportunities.
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Millersylvania Park
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On the road to Millersylvania from Olympia.
Woodard Bay is a great place to kayak or walk the trails. It’s a nice place to watch the moon rise or the sun set.
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Woodard Bay
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Canoeing on Woodard Bay
Tolmie State Park has shoreline and amazing walking trails that lead deep into a deciduous forest.
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Tolmie Park
The waterfront in Olympia has great walking paths, excellent restaurants and is another good place to watch sunsets.
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Olympia waterfront
St. Martin’s Benedictine University is just north of Olympia and filled with walking trails and lovely historic buildings.
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Saint Martin’s University cemetery
My all time favorite place to go walking is the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Nature Preserve just 20 minutes north of Olympia. I talk about this in another post.
Happy walking and I’d love to hear about your favorite trails!