Sew Very Lovely: 5 Family Friendly Paved Trails in Tacoma and the Surrounding Area

Lately the struggle has been real trying to carry Hugo around in his carrier. At 8 months old he's already in 18 month clothes and his last wellness exam placed him in the 91 percentile for weight. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not very strong and carrying him around is so. hard. Since Scott can work multiple weeks in a row, it really limits how often we can get out and hike as a family because he's the only one who can carry Hugo!

I love being outside when it's nice out and I love hiking. I love the burn and the tightness of air in my chest as I'm making my way up the switchbacks. I love being rewarded with stunning views or waterfalls for all of my hard work and if you can't tell, I really miss it. So, I've been exploring family friendly paved "trails" that give you that same feel-good-feeling but without worry of a carrier. Surprisingly, we found quite a few!

Here are five family-friendly trails that are great for strollers, bikes, and other fun things!

Nathan Chapman Memorial Trail:

Truthfully, this is one of my favorite trails to visit with Hugo. Not only is it a beautiful trail but also a lot of memories. When Hugo and I went on a walk together for the first time, we went to this trail. It's been really fun to see him progress each time we go. When he was a couple of months old we would take his stroller and now he goes in his cozy coupe. Before I know it he'll be running down the trail. Oh. man.

The trail itself isn't very long but it does wander and leads you to a variety of entrances and exits. The trail is also attached to a park area with a playground. Though the playground and park area do get rather busy at times.

Pt. Defiance - 5 Mile Drive:

Technically, this isn't a true trail. There are a lot of trails within Pt. Defiance to explore but they aren't paved which makes it a bit difficult. Instead, we like to walk the 5 mile drive because it allows you to explore each section of the park, provides amazing views of the Narrows bridge, and just the right amount of work to really feel like you are getting some exercise.

We like to park at the entrance and make our way up the trail from there, stopping in at the flower garden on the way back.

Foothills Trail:Truthfully, I didn't know that this trail existed until last week. When Scott and I were driving in downtown Puyallup the other day I happened to see a sign that said "river trail," and thought that I needed to check it out sometime. When we went on Saturday, I was really surprised to see that the Foothills Trail starts at Meeker spans all the way through South Prairie with plans to connect with Buckley all the way to Carbonado. That is wild! Our goal is to bike the entire trail at some point.

The trail is a little removed and there weren't many people on the trail at all which gives it a relaxing feel. There are a lot of cool bridges and views of the Puyallup River along the way. The trail is still undergoing development and as you are walking, you can imagine a lot of really cool areas for future picnic areas and playgrounds. This trail has a ton of potential.

BPA Trail: The BPA is another great trail to get out and explore. You can start over by the King County Aquatic Center and move through to Celebration Park. The trail itself is rather long and cuts through Federal Way though it's not nearly as long as the foothills trail! Unfortunately, we've only been able to explore sections of the trail and haven't had the time to really explore the trail in its entirety.

Point Ruston:Tacoma has been putting in a lot of effort to create cool spaces and develop the downtown area. Point Ruston is relatively new and is still rapidly developing. I love walking the waterfront with Hugo because of how much it has to offer. Cool restaurants are constantly popping up, there's a playground, splash park, cool bike rentals, parasailing, and the list goes on! You also get an amazing view of Vashon Island, boats on the sound, and Mt. Rainier in the background. If you are looking for something to do on top of your walk, then this is the perfect place to go. Parking is ample with parking garages and the path is plenty wide to accommodate lots of people. My friends and I joke about how inconvenient Alki Beach is to Point Ruston and refer to Point Ruston as Little Alki.