i entered the park at the 84th st trailhead and headed right, which led to an open area and intersected with the pipeline corridor. at this point there is also a bridge that goes to somewhere but i did not head up there as that path was paved. so i headed straight on a rocky trail/road until i got to a trail leading into the forest. this trail did lead to a neighborhood so i turned around. when i saw a trail behind some fencing i took that trail and it seemed to be well maintained. but then i took a right on another seemingly good trail but after awhile the trail itself went away, only reason i could still progress was a somewhat trail as indicated by grass that was stepped on. but i did get on a good trail eventually and lo and behold i went and ended up right back by that aforementioned fence, haha! so i retraced my steps back to the intersection with the pipeline corridor and headed back into the main forest area.

i have to say the forested areas were very lush, satisfying, and immersive. there are a number of trails to explore; i walked about 2 miles today but could have easily walked much more exploring the area. the trail is dirt and mostly level but there are areas that head up a bit, esp if you take the left trail when entering via the 84th trailhead. much recommended.

on a side note i did see a number of large piles of poop on the trail. being a city bumpkin i did not know what animal left those gifts. i did run across someone walking her dogs and when i asked her she said they were horse poop as people ride their horses through the forest. so phew!

Finally! I have been anticipating for the Pipeline Trail to open since moving to Tacoma in 2021 and it did not disappoint. The grand opening of this section of the Pipeline Trail was on June 28th. 

The parking lot was open with bathrooms and two picnic tables. Unfortunately the bathrooms were not open for use. The parking lot was spacious and opened up to where you can see the pipeline trail start and the equestrian trail. 

We started to walk towards the paved area where bikers are able to bike along the trail. We saw trail markers into a smaller trail and realized it looped into the bigger trees area (we were walking away from the powerlines). 

The trails were paved beautifully with gravel and some turnpikes. We noticed some parts of the trail also had some tight corridors but it provided immense shade. 

The flowers were lovely at the trail head and we noticed a big cedar on trail. It was a great hike and hope to bike the full trail soon!

Toilets: None open to the public yet, but there will be a vault toilet at the TH parking lot.

Excited to work my first WTA Work Party in this cool park under development! (Once the new parking lot opens to the public, you're gonna love it.) We tromped through the woods along newly built turnpikes and puncheons, enjoying the fine work of other trail org volunteers and crew. One group of volunteers built some framing for another stretch of turnpikes in a very muddy section, and the rest hacked their way through the grassy field under the power lines to carve out some tread. It's incredible to see what the group could accomplish with many hands and a shared goal! I can't wait to visit this park again once more trails are complete and see the "after."

Parking is currently on the side of the road, offical parking lot is planned.  These trails are certainly still in work but it was nice to see how much work has been done so far.  Very much looking forward to seeing the final product next year after all construction is complete.  The trails can be a bit confusing though so be sure to have a map handy but the trails are clearly visible.