I needed a quick hike today and the Northwest Loop at Millersylvania State Park south of Olympia fit the bill. There are a lot of (mostly well marked) trails in the park, so it's a big choose your-own-adventure. The route I took (pic attached) starts at the little parking lot just inside the main entrance, winds along Deep Lake, crosses over the wetland, loops around the Maple Glade, and uses Old Growth Lane to connect to the Perimeter Trail before ending back at the parking lot. This came out to around 4.4mi and 200ft of elevation gain.
The trail is in good shape overall! I didn't see many people aside from along the lake (honestly my least favorite part of the hike because you're going through the day use area) and the only wildlife I saw was squirrels and banana slugs. The forest is showing signs of changing seasons already! Yellow and red leaves are starting to come out and mushrooms are starting to show up. This will be a great after work Fall hike! This hike is part of my #hikeathon this August :)
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