Saltwater State Park is across Puget Sound from Maury Island High Point. Dash Point State Park in Federal Way is just miles to the southeast. Moreover, near the north by Interstate 5 sits Des Moines city’s high point.
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Saltwater State Park at a Glance
Access: SE entrance @ 14th Place S (park info)
Round Trip: 3.3 miles
Elevation Range: 0′-180′
Essential Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-friendly: yes
Playlist: Ethereal
Strolling Down South Rim Trail to the Beach
This state park is one of the 140-plus throughout all of Washington State. It’s also one of the only two featuring an underwater artificial reef with various sea stars and shellfish. Scuba diving, fishing, camping, and birding are among the park’s many activities.
The trail from the inconspicuous entrance across the neighborhood immediately went into the woods. It could be the first hike with the sounds of airplanes constantly flying overhead. It suddenly dawned on me that Sea-Tac airport wasn’t far north of here.
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Viewing Puget Sound by Maury Island
It’s a relatively small park compared to others in the area and has fewer trails. So, I decided to take advantage of the short mileage to shoot some video footage. Overall, the clockwise loop covering all the paths, minus the roads, was slightly over three miles.
It was a gradual altitude decline before going under the bridge, quickly dropping 100′ to sea level. Beyond the mostly empty lot, views soon expanded to the sandy beach. Immediately, two scuba divers were preparing to descend into Puget Sound.
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North Rim Trail to Bluff Trail in Saltwater State Park
After a quick stroll north to the trail’s end, I returned south and continued on North Rim Trail. It went under the bridge twice over a switchback before arriving at the upper parking. A short hike south on Bluff Trail soon brought me to the overlook atop the cliffs.
Despite tiny openings through the trees, I got a few shots over the water. Soon, I stopped by the park sign before continuing east under the bridge on the rim trail. It took little time from McSorley Creek before arriving back at the empty southeast entrance.
Stepping out onto the park’s high point at the corner of 16th Ave sure took a lot of work.
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