Ways to Get Outside in Tacoma
Tacoma has some amazing outdoor spaces! Getting outside is incredibly important for our mental health especially during the doom and gloom season. Walking and getting outside are helpful strategies to manage ADHD, anxiety, stress, and depression. These are some of my favorite parks and outdoor spaces in Tacoma to walk, pause and just be.
Ruston Way Waterfront
We have all walked Ruston at some point. There is something about it to me that always provides a sense of calm. I like to walk the section between Chinese Reconciliation Park and Cummings Park while listening to a fun audio book. There are so many places to stop along the way and take in the views, birds, seals and other humans trying to get out. Bring a friend and do an urban hike - you could start at Chinese Reconciliation Park and travel all the way to Dune Peninsula Park for quite the Tacoma jaunt (almost a half marathon round trip)! Many places to stop along the way for snacks and coffee. I love getting smoked salmon bites at Northern Fish and a honey latte from Curran Coffee.
Titlow Park
This is one of my favorite beaches to hang out and read a book on a nice sunny day. There are two loops in Titlow Park - the Hidden Beach and the Lagoon Loop you can connect to make about a 3 mile walk. Forest, trails and shoreline access all in one place.
Dock Street
This is a mostly accessible walk located in the heart of downtown Tacoma that goes along the Thea Foss Waterway. I like to start at the 21st Street Park and end at Thea’s Park. Along the way you walk by the glass museum, the Foss Waterway Seaport Museum and the new Melanie’s Park (with super fun slides). It is not the most scenic walk in Tacoma but I like the convenience and accessibility of this walk and how there are so many fun things to see along the way.
McKinley Park
This is a gem of a park located in East Tacoma. The park houses wetlands, a spring and a duck pond with resident ducks. This park is very hilly so get ready for a bit of a workout. This park is close to the freeway so the lower park can be a bit noisy - it is a good practice in visualization to imagine the freeway is a river. In the summer there are plenty of thimbleberries to pick along the way. This is a great park to take a mindful walk to really be in the present as there are many hidden art installations and surprises throughout. In the lower forest there is even a labyrinth! If you are lucky enough to meet the caretaker of McKinley Park, Danny, he will tell you everything you could possibly want to know about the park with a big smile on his face.
Point Defiance Park
This is really one of the cities greatest spots and why I have chosen it as my primary location for walk and talk therapy in Tacoma with my clients. Beautiful trees, miles and miles of trails, amazing views of the water and sound and spots to hang and walk on the beach! There are so many ways to connect trails in the park, you can have a new adventure every time. My favorite walk in the park is to drive up to Fort Nisqually and start on the blue trail, connect to the yellow/light blue and eventually loop back around to the blue trail on Five Mile. The Rhododendron Garden and Rose Garden when they are in bloom is also great!
Interested in getting outside with me in Point Defiance in Tacoma, Washington for therapy? Reach out to schedule a walk and talk therapy session!