Garfield Gulch

Garfield Gulch drops you into a steep-walled ravine carved by springs and streams draining toward Puget Sound, tucked into a residential neighborhood in north Tacoma. The trail is only half a mile round trip with about 150 feet of elevation change, but the gulch itself is the draw: dense ferns, moss-covered walls, and a surprising sense of enclosure for something you can walk to from a bus stop. WTA volunteers have built wooden puncheons (boardwalk sections) to keep feet dry through the wettest stretches.

The trailhead sits at N Borough Road, and the path drops down the right side of the gulch with views into the green bottom before looping back. It is the kind of place that rewards a slow pace and close attention to the understory rather than any grand vista. Spring is the best season, when everything is at peak green and the small streams are running.

This is a neighborhood trail in the best sense. No parking lot, no facilities, no pass required. Just street parking and a quick dip into something unexpectedly lush. Pierce Transit route 16 stops nearby if you prefer to arrive without a car.