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Portland to Point Defiance Park road trip: best stops

The drive from Portland to Point Defiance Park takes about 2 hr 24 min (north of Portland), by real roads from ZIP 97205. Along the way we found 77 stops within a short detour: 20 coffee shops, 4 bakeries, 14 ice cream and treats and 26 places to eat.

The list below is the best few of each kind, in driving order, with how far into the drive you reach each one (counted from Portland) and the detour it adds. Stops marked Our pick are chosen by us; the rest come from OpenStreetMap listings, so confirm hours before you count on them.

Plan this trip All day trips from Portland

Where you are going: Point Defiance Park 2 hr 24 min from Portland

Photo: Turtleey, CC BY-SA 4.0

Park

Point Defiance Park

A huge Tacoma park with old forest, beaches, gardens, a zoo and an aquarium.

Half day
Year-round
Free park; zoo has a fee

Heads-up: Dogs not allowed in the zoo.

Map of the stops between Portland and Point Defiance Park

Open the interactive map

First third Middle third Last third Point Defiance Park

First stretch 16 stops

Yo 2 Go Ice cream · Vancouver
About 15 min into the drive · detour about 2 min
Wanpo Tea Shop Coffee shop · Ridgefield
About 22 min into the drive · detour about 2 min
Line & Lure Seafood restaurant · La Center
About 24 min into the drive · detour about 2 min · hours listed on OpenStreetMap: Su-Sa 11:00-01:00
Michael Jordan's Steak House Steak house restaurant · La Center
About 24 min into the drive · detour about 2 min · hours listed on OpenStreetMap: Su-Sa 11:00-01:00
Red Leaf Organic Coffee Coffee shop · Woodland
About 28 min into the drive · detour about 2 min · hours listed on OpenStreetMap: Mo-Fr 05:30-18:00, Sa 06:00-18:00, Su 06:30-17:30
Lakeside Sweets Candy shop · Woodland
About 28 min into the drive · detour about 2 min
Daddy D’s Barbecue restaurant · Woodland
About 28 min into the drive · detour about 2 min · hours listed on OpenStreetMap: Tu-Sa 11:00-19:00 Website
Woodland Historical Museum Society Museum · Woodland
About 28 min into the drive · detour about 3 min
Twist Ice cream · Woodland
About 29 min into the drive · detour about 2 min
Fat Moose Bar & Grill American restaurant · Woodland
About 29 min into the drive · detour about 2 min · hours listed on OpenStreetMap: Mo-Th 11:00-23:00,Fr 11:00-24:00,Sa 11:00-01:00,Su 09:00-20:00 Website
Red Leaf Organic Coffee Coffee shop · Woodland
About 30 min into the drive · detour about 2 min · hours listed on OpenStreetMap: Mo-Fr 08:00-18:00
Upstream Ice Cream Ice cream · Kalama
About 35 min into the drive · detour about 2 min
Lucky Dragon Chinese restaurant · Kalama
About 35 min into the drive · detour about 2 min · hours listed on OpenStreetMap: Mo-Su 11:00-21:00
North County Coffee Coffee shop · Kalama
About 36 min into the drive · detour about 2 min
Kalama Sourdough Bakery Bakery · Kalama
About 37 min into the drive · detour about 4 min Website
D&F Rolled Ice Cream & Bubble Tea Ice cream · Kelso
About 44 min into the drive · detour about 2 min

Middle of the drive 5 stops

Espresso Coffee shop · Toledo
About 1 hr 1 min into the drive · detour about 2 min
Veteran’s Memorial Museum Museum · Chehalis
About 1 hr 18 min into the drive · detour about 2 min Website
Lewis County Historical Museum Museum · Chehalis
About 1 hr 18 min into the drive · detour about 3 min Website
Fiddler's Coffee Coffee shop · Centralia
About 1 hr 21 min into the drive · detour about 2 min
Fort Borst Block House Historic site · Centralia
About 1 hr 22 min into the drive · detour about 2 min Website

Last stretch 8 stops

Bimbo Bakeries USA Bakery · Thompson Place
About 1 hr 48 min into the drive · detour about 4 min
Bliss Ice Cream Ice cream · DuPont
About 1 hr 56 min into the drive · detour about 2 min · hours listed on OpenStreetMap: Fr,Sa 13:00-20:00; Su 13:00-19:00
Vehicle Park Attraction · DuPont
About 1 hr 57 min into the drive · detour about 2 min Website
Washington National Guard Museum Museum · Fort Lewis
About 2 hr into the drive · detour about 2 min Website
Overlook Viewpoint · Ponders Corner
About 2 hr 3 min into the drive · detour about 6 min
Joy Joys Bakery Bakery · Lakeview
About 2 hr 5 min into the drive · detour about 3 min · hours listed on OpenStreetMap: Tu-Sa 07:00-16:00; Su 07:00-14:00
Pasteles Fino Del Angel Bakery · Tacoma
About 2 hr 9 min into the drive · detour about 8 min · hours listed on OpenStreetMap: Tu-Fr 10:00-19:00; Sa 10:00-17:00; Su 11:00-17:00 Website
Bob's Java Jive Historic bar · Tacoma Our pick
About 2 hr 11 min into the drive · detour about 2 min

Questions about the drive from Portland to Point Defiance Park

How long is the drive from Portland to Point Defiance Park?

About 2 hr 24 min by road, heading north from the middle of ZIP 97205. Traffic and weather change that.

What are the best stops on the way from Portland to Point Defiance Park?

Good ones to start with: Bob's Java Jive (Tacoma). The page lists 29 in all, in driving order.

Where can I get coffee or a bakery stop between Portland and Point Defiance Park?

Wanpo Tea Shop in Ridgefield, Red Leaf Organic Coffee in Woodland, Red Leaf Organic Coffee in Woodland and North County Coffee in Kalama. Check hours first; they come from OpenStreetMap listings.

Where can I eat on the way to Point Defiance Park?

Line & Lure in La Center, Michael Jordan's Steak House in La Center, Daddy D’s in Woodland and Fat Moose Bar & Grill in Woodland.

Are there viewpoints or quick sights on the way?

Woodland Historical Museum Society in Woodland, Veteran’s Memorial Museum in Chehalis, Lewis County Historical Museum in Chehalis and Fort Borst Block House in Centralia.

More about Portland and Point Defiance Park

Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Stops come from our own picks and OpenStreetMap listings; hours and detours change, so check before you go. We do not store anyone's location.