Puyallup

Puyallup is a suburban community of 42,000 people (2022) in Washington state. Puyallup is home to the Washington State Fair, the state's largest fair.

Understand

The city's name comes from the Puyallup Tribe of Native Americans and means "the generous people."

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 Interstate 5 (I-5) travelers coming from the south can reach Puyallup via State Route (SR)-512 in Lakewood/JBLM (Exit 127) or from north of Tacoma on River Road (SR-167 at Exit 135) alongside the Puyallup River. A third way to reach Puyallup from the I-5 corridor is to exit at S 72nd St in Tacoma (exit 129) and continue east along S 72nd St to its eastern terminus at Pioneer Way which connects directly into Downtown Puyallup. See below:

Puyallup can be reached from Tacoma by driving east from Tacoma on State Route (SR) 167, which is also known locally as River Road along the southern shores 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 while the freeway itself becomes SR-512 which curves around Puyallup and turns west, south of Puyallup, to provide a link with Interstate 5 in Lakewood, south of Tacoma to reach other destinations such as Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), Dupont, Lacey and Olympia.

Meridian Ave cuts through Milton, Edgewood, Puyallup and South Hill as a main north-south throughfare. It stretches 38 mi (61 km) 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.

Highway 410 goes from SR-167 in Sumner (north of Puyallup) up through Bonney Lake, Buckley and Enumclaw to get out 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.

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 throughfare which divides north from south. It is not designated as state or US highway.

E 72nd St is another road that connects 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.

By train

1 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.

Get around

Driving is the easiest method of seeing Puyallup. Meridian is the main surface street in the city, running from the Puyallup River through downtown Puyallup to the shopping hub of South Hill. Pioneer Avenue 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 2 Puyallup (bus) Station at W Stewart & N Meridian, north of the tracks; 3 South Hill Transit Center along 39th Ave Sw, on the southside of the South Hill Mall; and 4 South Hill Park & Ride (P&R):

• Pierce Transit, ☏ +1 253-581-8000. Operates local and regional public transit bus routes in Pierce County. Communities within the county served by this operator's routes include Fife, Gig Harbor, Lakewood, Puyallup, Steilacoom, Tacoma with the following serving Puyallup: (updated Jun 2023)

• 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.

• Sound Transit (ST), toll-free: +1-888-889-6368. Sound Transit operates regional public transit routes including Sounder trains, Link light rail, and express bus in King County (e.g. Bellevue, Federal Way, Kent, Renton, Seattle), Snohomish County (e.g. Everett, Lynnwood), and Pierce County (e.g. Puyallup, Tacoma). The following are Sound Transit routes to/from Puyallup. (updated Jun 2023)
  • Weekday commuter rail service between Seattle and Lakewood via Tacoma on the Sounder S Line.
  • 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.

See

Puyallup serves as a springboard to attractions outside of the city, with the preeminent draw for visitors being Mount Rainier National Park.

• 1 Meeker Mansion, 312 Spring St (3rd St SE & Pioneer Way E). W-Su noon-4PM. The historic residence of Puyallup's founding father, Ezra Meeker.  

Do

• 1 Washington State Fair (Puyallup Fair), 110 Ninth Ave SW. Puyallup's premier annual event, it is also Washington's largest annual event. The fair lasts 17 days every September. At other times of the year the state fairgrounds host a variety of events such as antique shows, concerts, holiday events, rodeos, etc. Certain facilities and buildings within the fairgrounds can also be leased for private events. The four-day Washington State Spring Fair is held over two weekends in April. (updated Sep 2024)

Buy

• 1 South Hill Mall, 3500 S Meridian St, ☏ +1 253-840-2828. The mall features a number of retail outlets and anchors Puyallup's South Hill area such as Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, Regal Cinemas South Hill, Round Bowling & Arcade, Target, etc inside the mall. There's also an extension of the mall with stand alone stores across the street (S Meridian) which include At Home, Big Lot, Hobby Lobby, Home Depot, Lowe's, Pet Smart, Sportsman Warehouse, Total Wine & More, RAM Restaurant (see 'Eat'), etc. (updated Jul 2021)
• 2 Willow Shopping Center, 3705-3829 S Meridian (strip mall SE of Meridian and 37th Ave Se, southeast of the South Hill Mall complex). Each store keeps their own hours. Dollar Tree, Jamba Juice, Office Depot, Honey Baked Ham Co, PetCo, It's Pho U, Starbucks, TJ Maxx, Taco del Mar, Medical One (updated Aug 2024)

Eat

• 1 Powerhouse Restaurant and Brewery, 454 E Main (E Main & 5th St SE), ☏ +1 253 845-1370. M-Th 11AM-9PM; F Sa 11AM-10PM. An old electric train power station converted into a Brew-pub. Great food, awesome brew, and great service are what await you at this unique dining experience 
• 2 Ram Restaurant & Brewery, 103 35th Ave SE, ☏ +1 253 841-3317. Su-Th 11AM-10PM; F Sa 11AM-11PM. Best sports bar in Puyallup and great beer. 

Drink

• 1 Bumpy's, 116 E Main Ave (Along Main Ave between Meridian and 2nd Ave SE), ☏ +1 253 848-1901. Su-Th 9AM-midnight; F Sa 9AM-2AM. Puyallup's best dive bar. Great prices 
• 2 Charlie's Restaurant & Lounge, 113 E Main, ☏ +1 253 845-0588. Karaoke Friday and Saturday, 9PM 

Sleep

• 1 Motel Puyallup, 1412 S Meridian St, ☏ +1 253 845-8825. Check-in: 1PM, check-out: 11AM. 
• 2 Holiday Inn Express, 812 South Hill Park Dr, ☏ +1 253 848-4900. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. 
• 3 Best Western Park Plaza, 620 South Hill Park Dr, ☏ +1 253 848-1500. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. 

Go next

Routes through Puyallup

END ← Tacoma ←

W  N

→ Auburn → Renton