Olympia to Tacoma

I recommend riding this segment starting from Olympia because Tacoma is a great destination, and there are no services at the Olympia station.

Start by catching the train from Portland to the Olympia/Lacey station. I learned the hard way that the Olympia Lacey station is in the middle of nowhere when I decided to do a day trip from Portland to check out Olympia. I was told that there is a bus that runs hourly from the station to downtown Olympia, about 40 minutes away. The roundtrip in the cab cost me almost $100 dollars. If you want to explore Olympia, I recommend doing it as part of the Olympia to Centralia segment.

Be sure to confirm with the train conductor that you are getting off at Lacey. Once off the train, I recommend you use the restroom at the station as there are no services on this segment!

Upon exiting the station, turn left onto Yelm highway, heading east. You pass  bucloic countryside as you pedal through the Nisqualy basin. As you cross I5, you enter the Eagles Pride golf course, which appears to be a dead end. That's true for cars but not for bikes. Continue on until you exit the golf course and see a housing development to your right.

You will go around the gate and continue on Hoffman hill Blvd until as you head through perfectly suburban DuPont. I actually mean tha in a positive way. While, suburbs bore me to death, this one is lined with bike paths that nmake for a pleasant traverse over low hills.

Eventually, you make your way to the DuPont Stelliacomb road which will take you alongside the sprawling JBLM military base. The transformation from suburbtopia to military base to coastal paradise is stunning as you roll down into the town of Stelliacomb, perched above Puget Sound with stunning views of the Olympics.

Stelliacomb is a place I could spend a relaxing weekend, exploring nearby islands on the ferry or just reading a book with a view of the olympics. Whether you stay here or continue on, there are several surprises ahead.

Continue along the waterfront, you come to Chambers Bay, a sprawling golf course and recreational area. The climb to the top of the hill is challenging, but take the time to enjoy the view (and the restrooms) from the top. If you've got some extra energy from your overnight stay in Stelliacomb, you can head to the waterfront park and explore the ruins of the grain storage facilities there. There's something of a post apocalyptic look to them. There's also a pedestrian overpass you can take to get to the waterfront on the other side of the train tracks that will later bring you back to Porltand.

Another climb brings you to the foot of the Tacoma narrows suspension bridge, famous for having collapsed into the sound shortly after it was built. From here, you can catch the Scott Pierson trail towards downtown Tacoma. You will pass by Cheney stadium, which alarmed me at first, despite knowing this is a military town, but as it turns out, this was named after a different Cheney.

While you can just coast down the hill to the train station, I highly recommend taking the time to explore Tacoma. Specifically, University of Washington at Tacoma, Stadium High School, Glass Museum, Almond Rocha, and Point Defiance.

Extension option

Once you reach the foot of the Tacoma Narrows bridge, you can continue north to Point Defiance, a 702 acre park on the north end of Tacoma. You can ride the one way park loop and then continue along the waterfront drive on Ruston way until you reach downtown Tacoma.