Park Discussion
Point Defiance Park is an essential part of living in Tacoma and the South Sound.
• Park memories
The park's trails, roads, beaches and waters offer a refuge from city life and an opportunity for an astounding variety of recreation. We'll look at how Tacomans have played in the park over the decades.
Drew Perine/The News Tribune
Massive ferns and old-growth trees along the Triangle Trail Inner Loop make a prehistoric backdrop to the Defiance runners, which was formed in the 1980s by a group of physicians.
By CRAIG HILL • The News Tribune hortly before he died in a car accident in 1975, North America’s most famous runner fell in love with Point Defiance Park.
That day in Tacoma, Steve Prefontaine leapt over a small stream in the park’s upper Rhododendron Garden as beams of light peeked through the trees. He almost tripped over his jaw.
“This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever run,” the Olympic athlete told his running partners. “You don’t know what you have here.”
hortly before he died in a car accident in 1975, North America’s most famous runner fell in love with Point Defiance Park.
Activities map
The regulars
