Tolmie State Park Trail

Location: Olympia.

Length: Over three miles.

Level of difficulty: Level to moderately steep dirt/gravel trails, with boards covering muddy areas.

Setting: This 105-acre park has 1,800 feet of waterfront on the Nisqually Reach of south Puget Sound, with views of Anderson and McNeil islands. The sand and gravel beach slopes gently out into the water, with a large amount of sand exposed during low tide, making it a popular clamming site. The beach is full of water even at low tide, so don't wear shoes you care about. A forest trail extends along the west side of the shoreline with a figure-8 hillside forest trail to the west and south of the lower parking lot (the cut-off loop exits at the south end of the lot). The park is named for Dr. William Frazer Tolmie, a medical officer, fur trader and botanist with the Hudson's Bay Company during the 1830s at nearby Fort Nisqually. Tolmie was the first white man to attempt to climb Mount Rainier, and made observations of its glaciers and plant and animal life.

Highlights: Several interpretive signs throughout the park describe its natural and human history. A small saltwater marsh behind the beach bar serves as a rich habitat for invertebrates and young fish, and a shoreline project enhances geoduck production. Sunken barges offshore form an artificial reef where marine life can be spotted by scuba divers. For more park information, call 800-233-0321.

Facilities: Restrooms and water.

Restrictions: Leash and scoop laws in effect for pets; no bikes on shoreline trail.

Directions: From Interstate 5, take Exit 111, and follow Marvin Road Northeast north for almost 4 miles, then turn right on 56th Avenue Northeast. The road bends to the left in a half mile and turns into Hill Street Northeast, and the park entrance follows soon afterwards.

Cathy McDonald is coauthor with Stephen Whitney of "Nature Walks In and Around Seattle," with photographs by James Hendrickson (The Mountaineers, second edition, 1997).