The Foothills Trail was the perfect fit for this chilly Tuesday morning when all around Western WA we were in the midst of weather alerts. I parked at the Orting trailhead. Note: there are two lots that are nearly identical. It's easy to miss that you parked in the first one and on your return freak out that your car is not there! This happened to my hiking partner, but if he hadn't told me about it would have totally happened to me. You can start in different locations because this trail stretches from Tacoma to Buckley with plans to expand further. The Orting segment takes you along the Carbon River and leads to Buckley. The river was really flowing with eagles snatching up fish and flying all around. It was spectacular. There are parts where you walk alongside the road, which is not so lovely, but then bam, you hit moss covered trees, hillsides, and the river. The trail is paved and level. We walked about 4 miles before turning around. There are a number of concrete bridges. On freezing mornings like today, there are icy patches, so take care when crossing them. You have all sorts of different non-motorized traffic with the runners and bike people kindly announcing, "on your left." There were families with kids on trikes and an older gentleman on a standing up bike that I've never seen before, walkers with dogs all sweatered up and hikers missing the rocky terrain but loving the views. It's a nice place to share the outdoors with people who also just want to get outside and take it all in.

Opted to bike this one but would be good for hiking if you're looking for a paved flat trail with nice scenery. 

We did a section of the trail that started in Orting and then rode to South Prairie and back for a total of 15 miles RT. There are lots of other access points along the trail, several small parks along the way and stops at each end for a treat. The trail was close to highway at certain points and noisy but then farther away and quiet for most of it. It was an overcast and cold day but the river and farm lands were still beautiful and trail would be even better in sunny and/or warmer weather. 

Easy beautiful walk

The Buckley trailhead at the junction of highways 410 and 165, shown both in the hiking guide and on the Pierce County web site's trail map, does not appear to exist any longer owing to construction of 112th St E at that spot, and there is now a sign at that portion of the trail showing a 1-block gap where walkers must follow a sidewalk.  To find parking for the section westward from Buckley, drive 1 mile further down Highway 165 to a small parking area on the right side of the highway.

I started at the trailhead on Highway 162 between South Prairie and Orting, and hiked to Orting and back. The section of trail that ran along the Carbon River was definitely the highlight. A fair number of people were out walking, running and biking.