Point Defiance Park

Hours

Opens 1/2-hour before sunrise; closes 1/2-hour after sunset.

Roads

Many roads inside the park are one-way. Five Mile Drive winds around the perimeter, giving access to Owen Beach, Fort Nisqually, the off-leash dog area and many viewpoints. It is closed to motorized traffic Mon-Fri until 10 am; Sat-Sun until 1pm. All parking is free.

NOTE: Access to Owen Beach is temporarily closed due to renovations.

Trails

Miles of foot trails criss-cross the park. Primary trails have signage, secondary trails do not. None are designated for bicycles.
Remember: Please don’t feed wildlife.

Point Defiance Park is home to a Japanese Garden created in partnership with sister city Kitakyushu, a dahlia trial garden, a fuchsia garden blooming June-October, a perennial herb garden, an iris garden bordered with old Tacoma street cobblestones, a Northwest native garden, a rhododendron garden nestled in a stand of old-growth forest, and a renowned rose garden with over 1,500 bushes.

Dune Peninsula

This brand-new park is the result of three years of transformation from Superfund toxic wasteland to expansive parkland.

With sweeping views of Puget Sound and Mt. Rainier, Dune Peninsula offers 11 acres of trails, landscapes, “sail mound” viewpoints, a small pavilion and plenty of benches and tables for picnicking.

Wilson Way Bridge

Connecting the peninsula and Ruston Way with the rest of Point Defiance Park is the 605-foot-long, 50-foot-high Wilson Way foot bridge. Slides and stairs offer a fun way to descend to the marina from the east end of the bridge.

Owen Beach

A favorite place to relax and enjoy our beautiful shoreline, Owen Beach offers picnicking, kayaking, low-tide exploration and more.

NOTE: Road access to Owen Beach currently closed for renovation. The waterfront is accessible by walking from the marina.

Fort Nisqually Living History Museum dives you deep into what life was like in a 19th-century Northwest trading post. Volunteers reenact everything from crafts to historical dress, events celebrate holidays and heritage.

Rent a boat, fish from the pier, pick up some sandwiches or walk along the waterfront. A certified Clean Marina, the Point Defiance Marina also offers fishing classes, a gear and bait shop, beach clean-ups and more.

Point Defiance Park is full of wildlife, from harbor seals lounging on rocks to orcas cruising off-shore, from curious raccoons on trails to bald eagles swooping overhead to fish.

Then there are the massive Douglas firs and Western red cedars, undergrowth of green salal and ferns, and tiny insects and fungi. You’ll even find out iconic Pacific Northwest banana slug, one of the biggest in the world.

Explore and connect with wildlife in parks – but let them stay wild. PLease don’t feed them, touch them or interfere with them. We all call this planet home.