Dash Point State Park trails in Federal Way

September 5, 2026

Dash Point State Park is a nice, accessible park that's close to the city and very easy to get to. It sits on Puget Sound between Tacoma and Seattle, and it packs a lot into a small space: a web of trails crossing all over the place, a forest full of alder and maple, an interesting bridge over a gulch, and a small beach at the bottom. It's a great resource to have nearby.

Trail details

Washington State Parks says the park covers 461 acres with 3,301 feet of saltwater shoreline, and WTA counts 11 miles of hiking trails and 8 miles of biking trails, so you can make a walk as short or as long as you like. I walked a few miles, and it took me maybe a couple of hours. The park is at 5700 SW Dash Point Road in Federal Way, and I started at the Norpoint Way trailhead. It's open from 8 a.m. to dusk, parking takes a Discover Pass ($10 for a day or $45 for a year, checked November 2026), and dogs are allowed on leash.

The Dash Point State Park sign at the Norpoint Way trailhead, with a trail map and a mossy roof

Alder, maple and lots of trail

The trails cross around a lot, so it's easy to string together a loop. Most of the forest is alder and maple, with moss on just about every trunk and sword ferns underneath.

A forest of thin, moss-covered alder and maple trunks above a ferny slope

A shallow creek winding past a sandy bank, ferns and a moss-covered tree

A wooden footbridge with chain-link railings over a small creek

The bridge over the gulch

The most interesting part of the walk is the bridge. A tall steel bridge spans the gulch, and the trail runs right underneath it, so you get to look straight up into all that green-painted steel with maple leaves hanging in front of it.

Looking up through maple leaves at the green steel framework of a tall bridge over the gulch

Up the hill in the southeast corner of the park, on the trail that leads under the bridge, one section had washed out when I was there, and the edge was taped off with caution tape.

A trail with a collapsed edge where it washed out, roped off with yellow caution tape

A small beach on Puget Sound

The trails lead down to a small beach. When I was there, people were wading in the shallows, boats were out on the water, and big clouds were stacking up over the hills across the Sound. The wild roses along the beach were full of red hips.

People wading in the shallow water at Dash Point beach under a blue sky with puffy clouds

Wild rose bushes with red hips and beach grass in front of Puget Sound, with a weathered wooden post

Is it worth it?

Yes. It isn't a big wilderness day, and that's the point. It's close, it's easy, and you can be walking under maples or standing on a beach without much of a drive. For something a little wilder that's still short, try the Big Tree Trail near Bremerton, or browse more Washington hikes.