It was so cold this morning (36 when I started at 10am) that I decided to take advantage of having Tolmie State Park just down the road to go for a short hike. I've lived in the Olympia area for 6 years, but had never been on the Four Cedars trail. It was so beautiful and dark in the forest, with tons of mushrooms among the fallen leaves. There was nice color from the big leaf maples - a good Fall hike! I will note that this is a pretty root-y trail and some of the boardwalks/bridges were slippery, so that's something to be aware of. Check it out if you are in the area! 

This was my first hike after a total knee replacement two months ago.  It was a gorgeous fall day although there was not much foliage color yet.  As the name of the trail says, it is mostly surrounded by cedar trees.  A couple of the helpful interpretive signs describe the adaptive resiliency of these amazing trees.  The trail is mostly flat with just a few slight elevation changes.  With trekking poles, I was able to navigate the ups and downs with minimal knee pain.  There were thoughtfully-spaced benches along the trail also so I could sit and give my knee a brief rest. One of the benches and a nearby boardwalk were Boy Scout Eagle projects from 15 years ago.  I saw a small number of other hikers, some with dogs, but I had the trail to myself for the most part.  Logistics: Tolmie SP has two parking lots. I parked in the "upper" lot. I crossed the entrance road to the trailhead signed "temporary trail" which I hiked for about a mile until it intersected with the Twin Creeks Trail. I took the latter trail about .25 mile to the "lower" parking lot which has access to the beach.  I had to walk a short distance uphill on the road to get back to the "upper" parking lot.

New to Washington and this area- enjoying weekend day light hikes with my two older dogs every weekend and this is one of my favorites! I got a little confused direction wise but otherwise great hike. Really beautiful. Passed a lot of friendly people on the trail but it still felt secluded.

It was a great day for a hike. The dog loved it and was tuckered out . That says a lot for a blue heeler! The trail was well maintained had lots of benches to rest when needed. I will definitely be doing this again!

Good elevation distribution across the trail and easy signage.