Wildwood Park, Puyallup, WA

In keeping with the theme of my previous blog, I thought I would write about Wildwood Park in Puyallup, WA, where I happened to be scouting the other day. I haven't been there for a number of years but when my kids were small, we often visited the park. The park is mostly down at the bottom of a hill. Once you enter, you can quickly park on the upper lot, to then walk down a very long stairwell to the park or, you can drive a very long, narrow road through the trees to the playground parking lot at the bottom of the hill and at the bottom of the stairwell.

When the trees are in their autumn full color, the long drive in is very nice. For the most part, the road is wide enough for one car but there are areas to move over enough to pass another vehicle.

After the nice drive through the trees, you will reach the playground. The playground area is full of photo opportunities, such as for kids, portraits, and high school seniors. Especially in the fall, when the leaves are turning colors, the area is gorgeous! There are so many "props" to work with, like the stairwell or the bridge, the outbuilding, or even the playground. When Washington weather turns back to rain during the fall months, far fewer people visit the park, making it perfect for photos with few background distractions.

While some of the areas are fairly close together, a few require a bit of walking. There are a couple trail systems, one that starts near the playground, heads into the woods, down to the creek, then back up and around to the playground again. Another is an exercise trail, but takes you on a long "tour" through the wooded areas above the playground. This is a really nice, wide trail that especially in the fall, offers a number of photographic options.