In continuation of my 52 Hike Challenge, I decided to head out toward Yelm, Washington. My mind was leading me to go toward Mount Rainier National Park since I simply adore the mountain which always reminds me that I’m home whenever I’m flying into Seattle airport. Instead of going with something in my comfort zone, I decided to see if there were any hikes or trails in Yelm. So, I checked the Alltrails app and came across the Yelm Tenino Trail.
What is this hike about?
According to the Alltrails site, “Yelm Tenino Trail is a 13.7 mile lightly trafficked point-to-point trail located near Yelm, Washington that features a lake and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.”
There isn’t much by the way of elevation gain and is really just a long flat paved straight shot from Yelm to Tenino or farther. It really seems like a way to walk, bike, or run from Yelm to Tenino and back without having to walk on State Route 507 which doesn’t have a sidewalk in most places and is very heavily trafficked.
How did it go?
There is a designated parking lot off Railroad Ave just behind the skate park. I also didn’t notice that when I started and ended up parking by the golf course. Regardless, parking is free.
There was not a huge amount to look at along the way. There are farms on one side and State Route 507 on the other side. Although the roadway is a few feet away, it’s still kind of peaceful walking under the shade of the trees in most spots. It’s perfect for biking, rollerblading, running or just a walk. I noticed quite a few people using those hand-powered bikes along the trail.
There are lots of apple trees and fresh berries along the way just in case you get hungry. I’m not sure how bitter the apples are or there is anything you need to be cautious about regarding the berries, but just know that there is food available.
The trail is kind of sandwiched between the highway & the golf course until you get out of Yelm. Then, it turns into horse farms and fields of grass and wildflowers.
FYI: It’s 13.7 miles one way. Like a dummy, I thought it was a round trip when I looked on my hiking app and didn’t realize how long it was until I got to the city of Rainier. I found that 13.7 miles were going to be a little too much for me to walk in one go since I had just started this challenge a week before and certainly had not increased my stamina enough to go 27.4 miles roundtrip. So, if you go all the way to Tenino and back to Yelm, then you will have gone well over the length of a marathon!
There are a few bugs and bees and wasps along the way. I didn’t find that they were too bothersome They have bug-catching boxes and traps set along the way to help reduce the bugs. I actually did this trail in July of 2019 just in case you wanted to gauge the weather and season.
I decided to call it quits once I got to the city of Rainier which was about 6 miles from Yelm and then head back to Yelm. I still think around 13 miles for me was a success even though I didn’t technically finish the length of the trail.
Hiking is about knowing your limits and when to push past your limits as well as knowing when enough is enough. Once I got to Rainier, I knew enough was enough. I had not brought enough water to go the length and I also did not bring enough food to last me the total 26+ miles.
For the future, I learned to research better when it comes to finding out the length of the trail because that can mean a big difference on survival if I am to attempt other risky and challenging trails.
There were some cool wall art/graffiti murals at the beginning of the trail though.
Anything I should know before going?
As mentioned before, there are several locations to park your car before heading out. I liked parking at the golf course because I knew that a lot of people would be going and coming from the lot and that would hopefully decrease my chances of having my car vandalized.
It’s actually quite sad that many trails are highly prone to vandals because they know that people are going to be away from their cars for a reasonably long amount of time and by the time you return they are long gone. So, my advise is to not go hiking with anything of value in your car.
Regarding the trail, the hard pavement can get tough to walk on so I decided to switch up walking on the grass and sand on the sides of the trail. It would also be nice if there was a water fountain along the way but I’m not begging. I would suggest you bring enough water though for the long walk.
This is also a horseback riding trail, so watch out for horse poop along the trail. 
This might not be as important on this trail since it was well within multiple city limits, but many times trails are in very remote locations without ample cellular signal or connection with the local officials. So, make sure that someone who knows where you’re going, how long the trail is, what time you started the trail, and what time they should expect a response from you that you have made it back to civilization. This is very important in the event that you do have an emergency because time is a very important factor in saving your life. So give all the information you can to someone you trust to call for help in the event of an emergency.
Overall, it’s a great safe local walking trail perfect for getting from one city to another. As there is not a lot of variety in the trail, take time to enjoy the small things along the way like the trees, flowers, fruits, and even the silly bees.
