Outer Loop Closing Permanently to Vehicles for Safety

Parks Tacoma has been monitoring the eroding bluffs for years, taking actions to protect the public and slow the erosion. We know how important it is as a place of beauty and peace for all, and by moving fencing, adding signage and limiting vehicle hours we’ve been able to keep it open for safe access.

After receiving the January geotechnical report, we took time carefully assessing, initiating a peer review and exploring the possibility of enhancing an existing bypass service road, as it would have been ideal to have this in place before closure. We learned that, based on the need for engineering, permitting, funding and construction, this would be a multi-year initiative. With increased summer traffic approaching, we knew it was safest to close the road now to protect visitors and the slope.

Nobody knows when that cliff might suddenly give way, and our primary goal is to keep park visitors safe, as well as making our parks more resilient to climate change.

Is the Outer Loop still safe for bicycles and pedestrians?Automobiles need paved surfaces, and it’s that surface that is in danger that cannot be feasibly relocated without significant impact to the forest and its understory. We can’t upgrade this road safely, so we are closing it to vehicles to keep everyone safe. Walking/riding trails can be more easily altered to make them safer, and we are currently doing that on the Outer Loop.

We know how important Five Mile Drive is as a place of beauty and peace for all. But everyone needs to remember that this is a dynamic natural environment, and to respect all fences and signs and stay on marked trails.

The distance of Five Mile Drive is measured from a plaque in the parking lot of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. While the closure spans a 2.25-mile distance between the entry/exit to Owen Beach and Fort Nisqually, the Inner Loop of the Drive will still offer a 2.8-mile drive through the park.

We know how important the Outer Loop is as a place of beauty and peace for all our community. We are exploring possibilities for creating a route with nearby parking for those with mobility issues to gain safe, user-friendly access for a non-motorized experience on the Outer Loop. This could include a bypass road, and/or ADA-accessible routes or parking close to that unique forest experience. Parks Tacoma is committed to accessibility and inclusivity, while keeping people safe in our parks in balance with stewardship of the park’s rare urban ecosystem. This closure is one stage in the planning process designed to get us to long-range, accessible, equitable and environmentally sustainable solutions.

Owen Beach is reopening June 4 with a new entry/exit road. Visitors can park in the new upper section to access the Outer Loop.

Yes. Bicycles (including electric bikes and scooters), pedestrians and other nom-motorized transport is allowed. Motorcycles, cars and other motorized traffic is not.

Yes, visitors can still easily drive to Fort Nisqually Living History Museum. From the intersection at the entry to Owen Beach (near the Outer Loop gate closure) take a left to follow the Inner Loop. Keep right and follow signs to the Fort.

• 2008: Vehicle-free hours first introduced, closed to cars before 10am for walkers and cyclists to engage safely and peacefully with nature.
• After a surge of requests to expand non-motorized access, Drive closed Saturdays and Sundays until 1pm in six-month pilot.
• 2009: After positive survey feedback, those hours fully adopted.
• 2010-2015: Parks Tacoma receives increasing requests to further expand vehicle-free hours for added pedestrian/cyclist safety, including in 2015 Master Plan Update.
• 2017-2020: Pilot weekday morning closures until 10 am and expanded weekend closures until 2pm. After positive community surveys, expanded hours are adopted.
• March 2020: Pandemic forces a complete closure of most park assets to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Closures remain due to severe staffing shortages.
• August 2020: Drive reopens for vehicles on weekdays only. Parks Tacoma begins planning efforts for pedestrian safety improvements based on Master Plan Update. Operations adapted in response to drastic revenue losses. Drive is open 9am-2pm weekdays.
• January 2022: Parks Tacoma commissions updated geotechnical assessment of Outer Loop bluffs in preparation for safety improvements planned for viewpoints and Outer Loop Trail. The report confirms ongoing, accelerated erosion of the slope and increasing encroachment of the bluff’s edge toward the roadway.
• May 2022: Following a thorough review of the report and recommendations either to close the road or pull it back 150 feet from the bluff, Parks Tacoma makes the difficult decision to close the Outer Loop permanently to all vehicles.

The Department of Natural Resources mapping has long identified the Point Defiance bluff as a landslide zone and information about this risk is located throughout the park and on the Parks Tacoma website.

Cliff erosion at Point Defiance Park is a natural process, accelerated in recent years due to increasing rain and sea level rise from climate change. We respect this power of nature and do not work against it. Rather, we work to protect our environment and community from any harm that might come from its effects.

While pedestrians are free to access those beaches beyond Owen Beach, the slopes above are known to be unstable. When accessing this area, it is vital to respect all posted warning signs. Attempting to climb up or down the slope is dangerous and could result not only in bodily injury, but could also accelerate erosion of this treasured natural area.

Yes, that restroom will be open seasonally. It is serviced via carts, to keep heavy vehicles off the roadway. The picnic shelter is also open.

Since the 2014 bond and 2015 Point Defiance Master Plan Update, we’ve been steadily improving safety and aesthetics at the viewpoints. After delays due to the pandemic, we began the process of planning the bigger upgrades which were suggested by the community in the Master Plan. Step one was consulting with Geoengineers about the slope, and now we have the confirmation that the slope is too unstable for what was hoped for. Nature is strong, and we are respecting those forces in our stewardship of public lands and assets. The picnic shelter and restrooms, which are far enough back from the bluff, will stay open to all.

The Loop Trail design has changed from the original concept in the 2015 Master Plan Update, due to many factors. The biggest one was the new understanding that we would need to relocate the roadway back 150 feet from the bluff, and the substantial environmental and financial impacts that would have caused.

Like most agencies we have faced financial constraints in the wake of the pandemic. We want to offer everyone safe ways to move around the park, so we are focusing on improvements that provide pedestrians and cyclists with safe routes to experience the park’s major attractions – visitor safety is our number one objective. We will continue to explore opportunities to increase access to experience the outer forest.

Learn more about the Loop Trail

Parks Tacoma will continue to allow fire trucks and other emergency responders along that road. We share maps and other communications with those departments to keep responders safe. Safety is our first priority.