About 6 short miles from our RV park home is a really wonderful regional nature park. It is Priest Point Park. It is open to the public and FREE of charge. Located north of I-5 on East Bay Drive, the park encompasses 314 acres a of century old forested waterfront.
The property was acquired by the City of Olympia in 1905. There is a one-mile saltwater shoreline on Budd Inlet. Hiking trails will allow the casual visitor to enjoy the quietness of the forest and keep on the lookout for any of over 30 species of birds that inhabit the area. Those could include: bald eagle, herons, owls, gulls and more.
After we parked the car, I added Annie's water dish and bowl to our lunch in my backpack. Annie was up to the challenge of a little walk in the woods.
Bruce and Annie kept ahead of me on the trail and I had my camera ready for some great pictures.
We were walking in Priest Point Park for over 2 hours and only saw 2 other people on the trail. As well as the bird population, the park is home to fox, deer, squirrels, and seals and many other species of mammal. We didn't see any fox or deer this time.
After walking on the Ellis Cove Trail for a while we ventured down to the mud flats. It was low tide while we were there. This view is of the mud flats with Budd Inlet in the background.
Looking in the other direction, you can see a couple of the beautiful waterfront homes. Even during low tide the views those home owner's have must be amazing.
This area may not be the tourist draw that Seattle, to the north, is but it sure has a lot to offer. We have been here to Priest Point Park on many occasions. During really hot summer days it is a nice place to bring a picnic supper and enjoy the cool breezes and the shade provided by the large trees of the forest. Imagine, practically in our own backyard. If we still had a backyard, that is.
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Until next time.....so long for now!
2 comments:
Thanks for the tour of the park and the great pics! If we're ever in that area on a stopover, we'll definitely have to check this park out.
We sure agree with Rick! That seems to be a beautiful park. The boardwalk bridge was neat. Question - since my lady Suzy cannot walk far, she uses a mobility scooter to get around places. Would this trail be accessible (reasonably level, no steps to climb, etc.)?
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