 ELLEN M. BANNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge |
Walking trails south of Seattle
Burton Acres Park (Vashon Island)The park's lush forest of mixed deciduous and coniferous trees contains wetland areas and a wide variety of plants and birds. Des Moines Creek Park Trail (Des Moines / SeaTac) This beautiful park lies just south of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, straddling the cities of Des Moines and SeaTac, whose joint efforts have resulted in an undulating paved trail that follows Des Moines Creek. Federation Forest State Park (Enumclaw) Looking for a good winter walk? At 1,700 feet elevation, this park rarely gets snow, which makes it a great place to explore a diverse forest refuge in the midst of Weyerhaeuser tree farms during the colder months. Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park (Renton) This award-winning sliver of park along the southeast shore of Lake Washington offers more than a mile of waterfront, including a sandy swimming beach at its southern end. Honey Creek Trail (Renton) As you descend through a forest of big-leaf maples and alders, dotted with Douglas firs and cedars, the sound of the whoosh of traffic from distant Interstate 405 transforms almost imperceptibly into the cheery noise of Honey Creek. Ike Kinswa State Park (Silver Creek) This 454-acre park boasts 46,000 feet of freshwater shoreline on the Tilton and Cowlitz rivers and on the north side of 2,200-acre Mayfield Lake, created by the construction of Mayfield Dam. Lake Fenwick Park (Kent) This serene glen tucked among wooded ridges gives you the feeling of having stumbled upon a languid little Appalachian hollow. Lake Youngs Trail (Renton) Enjoyed by walkers, mountain bikers and equestrians, this suburban trail encircles the fenced-off watershed surrounding the Lake Youngs reservoir. Landsburg Park Trail (Ravensdale) The park marks the eastern end of the Cedar River Regional Trail, a converted Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad bed that extends to Renton. Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve (Littlerock) Not far from Seattle lies a mysterious plain that looks very similar to when explorers first laid eyes on its odd topography. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Twin Barns Loop (Olympia) As one of Washington's largest remaining relatively undisturbed estuaries, this area is an important place for animals, especially birds. O'Grady County Park (Auburn) From high on a suburban plateau, a well-graded gravel road sweeps down in long switchbacks through a lush forest dominated by big-leaf maple and dappled with bleeding heart. Salt Water State Park (Des Moines) This lush forested ravine offers trails on the surrounding ridges and a sandy shoreline along Puget Sound, with views of Vashon Island and the Olympic Mountains. Soos Creek State Salmon Hatchery (Auburn) The Soos Creek hatchery has been in existence for about 100 years.  |
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