Frye Cove County Park

Frye Cove County Park is another county park we heard about after we began exploring areas around our PNW location. The park is located off Ed Inlet, which isn’t an area we’ve explored much so it was a nice break from the usual parks around Budd Inlet.

 

  

Frye Cove is a pretty place to visit for a nature walk through beautiful forest and some playtime on the beach. Before you head out on the trails, there's a playground, picnic tables and a few shelters, so for those inclined to bring snacks or a lunch, it's also a nice area to picnic. The picnic area was a bit overgrown when we visited but the trails were nicely kept and the walk through the woods was peaceful and full of lush green vegetation.

There’s a view while you’re on the trail of the water and the mountain beyond. It’s also a nice place to just sit and enjoy the moment.

Yet another beautiful local park we can visit when we want to get away from it all, but don’t want to travel too far to get there.

Tolmie State Park

    

Tolmie State Park is a great local park we have access to in our corner of the PNW. With three miles of hiking trails in beautiful forested land, as well as access to the beach and saltwater marsh, Jozee gave it 4 paws.

We hit the hiking trails first and really enjoyed the boardwalks and bridges, bunnies and birds and so many large beautiful trees! 

The forest in this park really is beautiful.

        

When we finally made our way down to the beach, we used the long boardwalk to get there. It made for a grand entrance. 

 

The tide was out which gave Jozee many smells and sights to see. We had to watch out for the crabs and sand dollars though, which were everywhere so that we had to watch our step. Low tide also means a large amount of seaweed left behind on the beach so we had two reasons to watch our step: not only for wildlife hiding underneath but also so we didn’t slip and fall! I regretted only wearing sandals so that I had to go barefoot rather than wear my water socks...seaweed in the toes is not a fan favorite.

          

Jozee was extremely curious about the crabs, but we made sure she didn’t get too close. A nip to the nose would have really spoiled the day! 

 

But she managed quite well and if she wasn’t sniffing out crabs, she was having a ball digging in the sand.

       

Tolmie also has an underwater scuba park, which I expect must be a treat for underwater enthusiasts, but it’s obviously not an experience you can partake in if you have pets with you.

Overall, this is a nice day park to visit, especially on a beautiful day when you can take advantage of the views across the Puget Sound.

Priest Point Park & Burfoot County Park

You don’t have to travel far from home to find great parks to enjoy with your pup…

Ellis Cove Trail

Jozee enjoying the view

Priest Point Park:

Priest Point Park is easily accessible and in a location not far from downtown Olympia, close to the marina and on the shore of Puget Sound at Budd Inlet and Ellis Cove. The trails are well maintained and a nice little hike, especially the Ellis Cove Trail, where Jozee enjoys taking a break while we have a snack. My favorite photo on one particular day is when she was gazing out at the water from the top of the bluff while we were taking a break. It really is a wonderful trail with a beautiful view. 

Beach at Budd Inlet

At the end of the trail we gain access to the beach, a nice area to walk with plenty of trees close to the shoreline if you find yourself in need of shade. We enjoy the view and Jozee enjoys playing around in the water before we head back to the trailhead.









On one particular day while we were walking this trail, Jozee met another young pup who looked like a young Husky she enjoyed playing with when she spent time at doggy daycare. When the two of them began to move toward each other, very intent on interacting, we finally determined with the owners at the other end of the leash that this was in fact her playmate at the daycare.

It’s a small world, even for dogs.

Ellis Cove Trail

The only negative we found while visiting Priest Point Park is when we accessed the water using the short trail on the south side of the park and had to walk in the mud flats at low tide. The mud flats are, well, muddy. They are also slick and slimy and after trying to maneuver through them just once, that was enough for me. I prefer the beach area further north where we access it from the Ellis Cove Trail and where the rocky shore gives us more traction.

Burfoot County Park:

While I had visited Priest Point even before Jozee, I had never taken the time to drive further along East Bay Drive to discover what might lie beyond. Since I’m always on the lookout for new parks to visit with Jozee, we finally ventured out that way and were pleasantly surprised with Burfoot County Park. 

A huge field where dogs can play fetch is close to a large playground area for kids and surrounding that field are multiple entrances where you can begin your walk either through the nearby woods or down the trail toward to the beach. 

The difference between this beach compared to the Ellis Cove Trail access is that there isn’t much in the way of shade. However, some days we have the beach to ourselves, at least for a short time period, and there are benches just above the beach where you can sit and enjoy the view for awhile. While on the beach we look for little crabs under rocks, spot evidence of what lies beneath based on holes in the sand and Jozee’s reaction to water squirting up at her when she stood over the holes was priceless.

Both parks have their own perks and both have become local favorites whenever we want to visit the water but have to stay close to home.

Jozee met a little friend