Walking Trails in Tacoma: Staying healthy and exploring more in 2024

These fun walking trails near campus will help you keep up with your resolutions.

A couple weeks into 2024, a lot of New Year’s resolutions are likely already long forgotten. To help you keep some positive momentum for those fitness goals, I have put together a group of my favorite walking trails in Tacoma that are close to campus.

Wright Park, on Yakima Ave and 6th, is fun to walk around in because it is an arboretum. Most of the trees planted are labeled and dated and can go as far back to the inception of Tacoma itself. It even has a Botanical Observatory to visit.

Puget Park Trail in Proctor takes you through a small forest on the hill. Forest-bathe in the middle of the city or watch for birds and dog walkers. The trail takes you all the way down to Ruston Way, which is another nice walk along the water where you can view several mountain ranges.

There are many great walks around Point Defiance, like the Point Defiance Park inner loop trail. If you are feeling adventurous you can walk all the way across the Narrows bridge alongside moving traffic and 300 feet up above the water using the Scott Pierson Trail.

I think that it’s important to be a tourist in your own city. Be curious of all the things you see when you walk. You could walk around campus or down the Prairie Line Trail and learn the history of Tacoma. Sometimes you don’t even have to follow a trail at all. You could take a walk in your neighborhood and create your own route.

Walking has many physical and mental health benefits that can kick off your new year in the right direction. Walking can reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce body fat, and increase cardiovascular fitness.

I believe that walking can improve the health of the city as a whole. Having more people out and exercising could create a sense of community and belonging that is largely missing in Tacoma. Walking is free and doesn’t require any type of specialized equipment, try it out this year with me.

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