Places to Walk in and Around Olympia

Washington State

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.

Capitol building

Dahlia garden

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.

Mima Mounds

Mima Mounds

Priest Point park has walking paths, a rose garden and a saltwater trail.

Trails

Millersylvania Park has boating, great walking trails and lots of camping opportunities.

Millersylvania Park

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.

Woodard Bay

Canoeing on Woodard Bay

Tolmie State Park has shoreline and amazing walking trails that lead deep into a deciduous forest.

Tolmie Park

The waterfront in Olympia has great walking paths, excellent restaurants and is another good place to watch sunsets.

Olympia waterfront

St. Martin’s Benedictine University is just north of Olympia and filled with walking trails and lovely historic buildings.

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!