Puyallup

Understand

The city's name comes from the Puyallup Tribe of Native Americans and means "the generous people." Its pronunciation, pew-AL-ep, is so unintuitive that it is commonly used as a regional shibboleth to identify people from outside the area.

Local information

• Puyallup City Council website

Get in

Puyallup is located 10 miles east of Tacoma 35 miles south of Seattle. It is most accessible by car via freeway and highway, though limited transit options do exist.

By car

From the west:

• From Tacoma, eastbound State Route 167 (SR-167), also known locally as River Road, runs along the southern shore of the Puyallup River. This turns into a freeway heading north towards its junction with I-405 in Renton through Auburn and Kent. Going south, SR-167 splits into River Road north of Puyallup to continue towards Fife.
• From Lakewood and Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), south of Tacoma, State Route 512 (SR-512) runs east then north into Puyallup, connecting with SR-167.
• Pioneer Way E is an old two lane road that parallels River Road into Puyallup from Tacoma/Fife. Once in town it goes across town as a main east-west thoroughfare which divides north from south. It is not designated as state or US highway.
• E 72nd St connects to Pioneer Way at the northwestern edge of town to I-5 through southeast Tacoma. It can be accessed from I-5 at Exit 129 from both directions.

From north or south:

• Meridian Ave cuts through Milton, Edgewood, Puyallup and South Hill as a main north-south thoroughfare. It stretches 38 mi from its intersection with SR-18/S 348th St as Kits Corner S (Enchanted Pkwy S) in Federal Way to its intersection with SR-7 south of the town of Eatonville near Mount Rainier. The road becomes Meridian Ave after crossing the county line into Pierce County.

From the east:

• Highway 410 goes from SR-167 in Sumner (north of Puyallup) up through Bonney Lake, Buckley and Enumclaw to Crystal Mountain and Mount Rainier. From east of Mount Rainer it winds it away across the Cascades to I-82 in Yakima. In winter this road may not be passable (or even closed) between Crystal Mountain and Yakima due to high standing snow. In some years this road may remain closed till June or July.

From Interstate 5 (I-5):

• from south of Tacoma, take SR-512 in Lakewood/JBLM (Exit 127)
• from north of Tacoma, take River Road (SR-167) (Exit 135)
• from most parts of Tacoma, take S 72nd St (Exit 129) and continue east along S 72nd St to its eastern terminus at Pioneer Way.

By train

Sound Transit (ST) Sounder operates commuter trains between Lakewood, South Tacoma (S 56th & S Tacoma Way); Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, Auburn, Kent, Tukwila, and Seattle King St Station. It goes northbound during weekday mornings and southbound on weekday afternoons/evenings and during the Seahwaks and Mariners home game days. Cross platform connections to Amtrak trains are Tacoma Freighthouse Square (Tacoma stop) and Seattle King Street Station.

By bus

Get around

Driving is the easiest method of seeing Puyallup. Meridian Ave is the main surface street in the city, running from the Puyallup River through downtown Puyallup to the shopping hub of South Hill. Pioneer Ave is the main east/west link, cutting through downtown and serving many of Puyallup's quiet residential neighborhoods.

By public transit

The transportation hubs (bus stations) in Puyallup are in Puyallup (bus) Station at W Stewart & N Meridian, north of the tracks; South Hill Transit Center along 39th Ave Sw, on the southside of the South Hill Mall; and South Hill Park & Ride (P&R):

* 4 Connects Pierce College towards Lakewood Towncenter via South Hill Mall & Lakewood Town Center Transit Center via S 112th St. Transfer to Intercity Transit #620 to Olympia via Lacey; and to Sound Transit #592, 594, 574 at the Lakewood SR-512 P&R. * 400 Connects South Hill P&R to Downtown Tacoma via South Hill Mall, South Hill P&R, Downtown Puyallup, Puyallup Station, Pioneer Way S (SR-167). Transfer to Greyhound, Amtrak, and Sound Transit (574, 586, 590, 594) at Tacoma Dome Station. * 402 South Hill (171st St Ct E & S Meridian) to Federal Way along Meridian via South Hill Mall, Puyallup Station, and Milton. * 409 Connects Puyallup (29th St NE & 5th Ave NE) to S 72nd St Transit Center in SE Tacoma along Pioneer Way & E 72nd St. It continues towards Lakewood from the S 72nd St Transit Center as the #202 bus. * 425 Puyallup Connector. Local connections between South Hill and Puyallup Station via multiple turns to access local neighborhoods Pierce College.

• Weekday commuter rail service between Seattle and Lakewood via Tacoma on the Sounder S Line. St route 580 serves as a weekday shuttle between the South Hill Park & Ride and the Sounder Train via the Red Lot on 5th St SW & 9th Ave SW.
• Express bus service between Downtown Seattle and Puyallup Station throughout the week via Sumner, Auburn, and Federal Way on Route 578. This is a faster way to get to/from Federal Way then with Pierce Transit's #402 bus. Passengers transfer to Rapid A or 574 bus in Federal Way to continue towards the airport.

Go next

Like big fairs? Also check out the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe, or the Tulip Festival around Mount Vernon.

Other nearby destinations:

• Federal Way, for the Pacific Bonsai Museum, an extensive Rhododendron Garden, and the region's largest water park.
• Eatonville, home of the Northwest Trek wildlife park and the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad.
• Mount Rainier National Park, featuring the tallest mountain the Cascades and the most "prominent" mountain in the lower 48 states.
• Tacoma, the major port city with a robust museum and arts scene.