Nolte State Park offers an easy, 1.4 mile trail that is family and dog friendly. With an elevation gain of only 52 feet and peek-a-boo views of the lake, this loop makes a lovely walk.
To park in the lot you will need a Discover Pass. At the entrance there is a booth with an attendant, so be sure and have your pass ready. You can also purchase a day pass for $10, but at $30 per year, an annual pass is a darn good deal.
The trail head is located in between the restrooms and the play structure and is clearly marked. We noticed that they have a receptacle for micro filament recycling (the white container in the picture) –pretty cool!
The gravel path is pretty wide and you could definitely take your all-terrain stroller on this walk, and we saw folks riding bikes, too. There are occasional offshoots from the trail that go to picnic tables or the shore of Deep Lake. Just stay on the widest path. There are a couple of small hills, but otherwise it’s pretty flat. We saw lots of huge trees, root balls with hanging moss, butterflies and dragonflies.
Although the trail takes you through the forest, you will catch glimpses of the lake.
The trail takes you right back to where you started, and the whole 1.4 loop took us about 40 minutes to walk, with plenty of breaks when the kids were checking out trees or wildflowers or chasing butterflies… Now that you’ve gotten in some exercise, enjoy a swim in Deep Lake, go fishing, check out the play set or grab a snack at the picnic tables.
The restrooms were really clean and parking was plentiful. This is a great walk for the whole family and an excellent starter hike.
Nolte State Park 36921 Veazie Cumberland Rd SE, Enumclaw, WA 98022
Check out our park and swim report for Deep Lake