Point Defiance’s newest trail is open, and park roads are all clear
Hey Point Defiance Park fans, how would you react if we told you that since Fourth of July weekend, there are zero detours or road closures in Point Defiance Park? Well, let it out because it’s true. Point Defiance roadways are wide open, and there’s a new paved trail in the park called the Loop Trail.
A yearlong construction project for the Loop Trail wrapped up on July 2. Cars can now enter from Pearl Street or Mildred Street and access the entire park.
“The project added 1.6 miles of trail connecting visitors to Wilson Way Bridge, the Pagoda, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the Environmental Learning Center and Owen Beach,” Public Information Officer Stacia Glenn wrote in a statement.
The new Loop Trail is not to be confused with the existing 5-mile Drive, which has had closed sections near the bluff for many years. According to Glenn, those road sections will remain closed indefinitely.
“That’s the outer loop,” Glenn told The News Tribune over the phone on Monday. “A section of that has been closed for many years now in the deeper part of the park. We closed it to cars because of erosion. The weight of the cars was causing it to erode quicker, and there was no way to fix it. But it’s always open to walkers, hikers and cyclists. It’s fantastic to bike.”
The Loop Trail, which Parks Tacoma says was created to improve pedestrian, bicycle, and car circulation throughout the park, was introduced in two phases. Phase one was completed in 2023 and included a new sidewalk to Park Avenue west of the Mildred Street entrance roundabout, paving the top of Trolley Lane Trail leading north from the roundabout to the Japanese Garden, a small plaza at the entry of Wilson Way Bridge, and safer pedestrian road crossing near the Japanese Garden.
Phase 2, completed last weekend, adds a dedicated pedestrian and bike trail to complete the 1.6-mile loop from the Wilson Way Bridge to Owen Beach.
The new Loop Trail addresses safety needs identified as a community priority during the 2015 update to the Point Defiance Master Plan by improving visitor safety.
“Loop Trail makes it so much easier and safer to travel between destinations in the park,” Park Board president Matt Mauer said in a statement. “Point Defiance is treasured by so many, and we’re thrilled to keep improving the park experience for visitors.”
The Loop Trail is paved and ADA accessible. Glenn says it is meant for cyclists and pedestrians and mainly there to separate vehicles and people, “so that they’re not on the same road.”
The planting for the Loop Trail added 175 trees and more than 2,200 native shrubs to Point Defiance Park.
A celebration of Loop Trail Phase 2 will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on July 31. There will be a ribbon-cutting behind the Pagoda and a guided walk to Owen Beach along the newly opened trail.
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