Point Defiance Park
| Point Defiance Park | |
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Owen Beach in Point Defiance Park
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| Location | 5400 N. Pearl St. Tacoma, Washington 98407 |
| Coordinates | 47°19′N 122°32′W / 47.31°N 122.53°WCoordinates: 47°19′N 122°32′W / 47.31°N 122.53°W |
| Area | 702 acres (2.84 km2) |
| Operated by | Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma |
| Visitors | Over 3 million |
| Open | 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset |
| Parking | Free |
| Website | Official website |
Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, Washington is a large urban park in the United States. The 702-acre (2.84 km2) park includes Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the Rose Garden, Rhododendron Garden, beaches, trails, a boardwalk, a boathouse, a Washington State Ferries ferry dock for the Point Defiance-Tahlequah route to Vashon Island, Fort Nisqually, an off-leash dog park, and most notably a stand of old-growth forest. More than three million people visit it every year. Point Defiance Park is maintained and operated by the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma.
Point Defiance Park offers something for all its visitors, both wildlife and people. Not all the wild animals are confined inside Zoo & Aquarium. From high cliffs overlooking the Tacoma Narrows people can watch bald eagles feed on salmon runs passing through on the strong tidal currents. Their calls can be heard from their nests in the old growth forest that is preserved and make up the northern 400 acres (1.6 km2) of the park.
In winter sea lions migrating from California frolic and feed in the swirling tides that rush beneath the Gig Harbor overlook—the northernmost point of the peninsula. Harbor seals are common near the tip of the point most of the year. Seal pups are frequently observed north of Owen Beach in late summer and early fall (humans and their dogs should keep their distance to avoid spooking the pups.)
The park also provides habitat for mule deer, red foxes, pileated woodpeckers, Douglas squirrels, and raccoons. The latter are often fed from cars despite numerous signs noting that feeding wild animals is illegal in the park.
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Wikipedia