Seminary Hill Loop

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Spring · Views · Wildlife

Tour the outer trails of Seminary Hill and discover the reservoir before looping back to the start.

The steps built into the trail can be slippery when wet. Stay on the obvious trails and don’t cut between them; steep eroded banks testify to past deviations.

Explore this 70+ acre natural area, within hiking distance to downtown Centralia and the train station. You'll find a mix of flat and steep trails, woods, gullies and vistas. This loop skirts the perimeter of Seminary Hill Natural Area linking together the various short trail segments at the park. The loop follows the Indian Pipe Trail to the Waterleaf Trail to the Kiser (Camp) Trail to the Canyon Trail to the Barnes Drive Trail to form a loop. Various other short connectors can be taken to add some additional mileage of to shorten the hike as desired.

This is a mixed forest of douglas firs, western red cedars, big-leaf maples, alders, and vine maples.

For a full color guide to the most common birds of the Seminary Hill Natural Area, click here.

According to the Seattle Times, in 1884, the Northwest Convention of Missionary Baptists established a seminary in Centralia. George Washington, an African-American pioneer who in 1875 established the town of Centerville (later renamed Centralia), donated $10,000 for the building fund. The new seminary became a city landmark; although the building was razed in 1938, the area is still known as Seminary Hill.
The reservoir area was expanded in the 1980's through support from Friends of Seminary Hill and other local groups.