Discovery Park is always a good trek, especially after a bunch of snow since it is such a low elevation. We ended up doing the loop down to the lighthouse as well, which adds a good 2 miles onto the hike. The trail has good signage, and lots of options to shorten or lengthen your hike. We saw a sea lion too!

Took the loop trail from the south parking lot down to the beach and back. The road is easy enough to navigate in the snow. The park was lively but not busy, good mix of hiking, skiing, and sledding. The stairs were pretty slippery so I actually wished I had microspikes to make it a little easier, but it is very doable in just regular boots. Not too much more to add, just wanted to share pretty pictures!

This hike is excellent for a day when you don’t want to do much planning or travelling (from Seattle), but want to also do some hiking. There was plenty of parking for a Saturday with great weather around noon.

The trails were all well-marked and there were paper maps at the trail head. We started at the North Parking lot and did a few little detours to the ponds and Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center. Then, we headed to our main destination: the Lighthouse.

The trail there was well-maintained and easy to walk even with all the mud. I saw a few families with young children who seemed to be having a great time. The beach and lighthouse were beautiful, but I would recommend bringing a hat or sturdy hairstyle because my hair was wiping around everywhere in the wind.

We decided to head north from the lighthouse up the North Beach Trail and then loop back up to the Loop Trail to the North Parking Lot. The stairs to get back are INTENSE. There were many and they seemed to go on forever. Totally worth it though! It was a super fun trip, and I can’t wait to come back and do it again (endless stairs included).

Spectacular views on this hike. Be sure to bring the sunscreen! Ample bathrooms and water fountains, however, it is still wise to bring extra water given the very warm temperatures.

If you're feeling up to carrying a chair the beach is a great spot to relax. I really enjoyed looking for sea glass and taking in the sights on the bluffs as we hiked the Loop Trail to Hidden Valley Trail (past the wastewater treatment plant, which made for a unique hiking experience given the smell) to South Beach Trail and finally back toward the north parking lot. The Powwow was happening so parking was full but we were able to find overflow parking.

The hike was more of a workout than I expected. Terrain is fairly even throughout, but there was a fair number of stairs so be prepared for that. The views are entirely worth it!

WTA #hike-a-thon

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