Olympia is the capital of the state of Washington, located 100 miles southwest of Seattle. The city sits at the southern end of Puget Sound on Budd Inlet. There’s some nice running in Olympia, centered on the downtown waterfront area. We’ve put together a nice ‘runseeing‘ tour of the capitol area, Capitol Lake, and Olympia’s historic downtown. Other best places to run in Olympia are the Priest Park/East Bayshore area, the campus of Evergreen State College, and extensive multi-use paths such as the Chehalis Western Trail and the Woodland (Lacey) Trail.
Runners should note that Olympia’s winters can be very damp averaging 8 inches of rain from November-February. Summers, by contrast, are mild and dry.
