Paradise Valley Conservation Area - June 21, 2012

A wooden foot bridge along the Lloyd Trail.

One of several small Cairns that I saw along the Lloyd Trail.

This was our second trip to Paradise Valley Conservation Area in Woodinville. The last time we went was in December and it was much warmer this time, thankfully!

There were several cars parked in the parking area when we arrived at around 11:30 am on a Thursday. I'm pretty sure the parking area fills up quickly on the weekends. There is a portable toilet in the parking area.

I would recommend printing a map from the link above. You can plan your route as you go.

We left the parking area and walked the Whispering Firs and Cascara trails. Then we headed a short way down the Mainline Trail to The Clearing for lunch. This is a nice open area with benches and makes a great place to have lunch.

Having lunch in The Clearing

After we ate we headed down the Mainline Trail until we hit the Lloyd Trail and took that until it reaches the Southern Traverse Trail. From there we followed the Forest Ridge Trail back to the Mainline Trail. We walked out to the parking lot after we finished and went for ice cream at The Snoqualmie Ice Cream Cafe when we were done. It's just a few minutes from the trailhead and has delicious ice cream!

We encountered several bikes along the trails that we hiked as well as some muddy spots (I would recommend hiking boots, or at the very least sturdy tennis shoes).

There are about 13 miles of trails in this park and is a great place to explore with kids. Plenty of easy walking trails for even the youngest of hikers!

I found my first ripe huckleberries of the season. There were quite a few Red Huckleberries around!

The bleeding hearts were still in bloom:

 I thought the Oregon Grapes were a really pretty green color:

Here are my fungus pictures:

I found this pine cone carefully balancing on this Huckleberry branch.

Happy Trails!

Lime Kiln Trail - June 14, 2012

**Update as of 7/29/2014 - According to many trip reports on WTA.org, the trail is not closed 2 miles in, despite signs (and the Snohomish County Parks website) saying otherwise. Many reviewers hiked the trail with children and had no problem with the trail conditions. Keep in mind that there are steep, narrow parts along the trail, so make sure to supervise your kids to avoid accidents. :-)

**Update as of 4/4/14 - Trail is closed 2 miles in due to slides and unstable condition. See my post for more info.


Even thought I've hiked Lime Kiln Trail several time, it's one of my favorites. It's close to home (about 35 minutes from North Everett) and not a difficult trail to hike.

There is a gravel parking area at the trail head and there were 2 vehicles there when we arrived with friends. We hiked on a Thursday, but I'm sure the parking area is busier on the weekends. I did read on the WTA.org website that there have been several car break-ins/prowls over the last couple of months. ALWAYS remove valuables from your vehicle when leaving it at a trail head (car prowls are common at trail heads because there are usually long periods of time where vehicles are left unattended). You can't always avoid the risk of someone breaking into your vehicle, but if there isn't anything visible, I'm sure it lessens the chance. If there isn't anything to steal, it's that much less of a headache for you if someone does break in.

**Update - I forgot to include this when I originally published this post. It's about the washouts along the trail. There has been one main washout along the trail for the past couple of years which has been easily passable. It's still passable, but has washed out a little bit more. There is a new, big slide area, which is easily passable as well. We had a 3 year old and a 6 year old that did fine with parental help. Just wanted to make a note, so that you would  know what to expect on the trail. :)**

Lots of Salmon Berries along the trail! This is my favorite spot for Salmon Berries and I hit them at their prime!

We hiked the whole trail to the riverbank at the end (7 miles round trip). We had lunch on the riverbank. Lots of big rocks to sit on there.

Before you get to the river you will see the old lime kiln and some artifacts. Please leave all artifacts where they are. Here is a link with more history about Robe Canyon Historic Park and the lime kiln.

Here is the old lime kiln

Pretty scenery along the way:

Not a whole lot of flowers in bloom, but I spotted a few:

Foxglove

Red Columbine - the only one I saw, growing down by the river.

Baldhip Rose

A little green frog we spotted

Fungus pictures:

Slug finishing a snack

Oyster Mushrooms, I think.

Pretty sure these are Eyelash Cup fungus. See the eyelashes around the edges?

I think these are Yellow Tuning Fork mushrooms

And...here is a big happy trails to you from a tree monster along the trail!

Brightwater Center Hike - May 25, 2012

I had this hike on my bucket list and decided it would be a nice short hike that wouldn't be too far from home. Brightwater Center is a water treatment facility that opened to the public in September 2011. It has 3 miles of trails and 40 acres of natural habit to explore. There is an exhibit hall/education center to explore (make sure to check the hours if you plan to do this as well as the hike), and artwork to see.

Some of the trails have a little elevation gain, but most are fairly level and easy to walk. If you have younger children, or have trouble walking too far, this is the perfect hike for you! You can download a trail map from the website if you like, but the trails are well signed and have signboard maps along the way.

There is quite a variety of wildlife that you may see along the trails. We saw some birds and native plants.

I spotted one ripe Salmon Berry along the trail. First one I saw this year.

Lots of large, beautiful Thimble Berry Blossoms too.

This is a picture of Duck Pond.

My son taking advantage of one of many benches along the trail to tie his shoe.

We packed a lunch and ate on the benches at the top of Meadow Hill.

I have plans to come back to Brightwater Center for another hike, maybe this fall.

Happy trails!

Pilchuck Tree Farm Trail - March 8th 2012

I ran across Craig Romano's article about hiking at the Pilchuck Tree Farm. It was some place that I had never heard of before and just what I was looking for!

I followed the directions on the above link. He gave great directions on how to get to the Tree Farm and a great 3 mile trek on the forest roads within the tree farm. These roads are accessible all year round, whereas the trails are only for use between May 1st and October 31st. We parked on the side of the road and were careful not to block any of the horse trailer parking areas. It was a bit muddy on the sides of the road, so I parked carefully to make sure I wouldn't get stuck on the way out. The trails and forest roads are used by equestrians and bicycles as well as hikers. We only encountered 2 horses and riders during our hike.

Much to our surprise, we encountered quite a bit of snow on the ground! It made the hike pretty and the kids were excited to see the snow.

The directions for the 3 mile forest road loop that Craig lists on his article are easy to follow. There is some elevation gain, but it is mainly a climb in one area. It was muddy and wet, especially in the open areas. The hike itself was beautiful and I will definitely be doing this one again. I would imagine that the area gets pretty busy on the weekends and summers.

Do keep in mind that this is a privately operated tree farm and the owners of the land are gracious enough to allow people to use it. Please follow all of the required rules including keeping your dog leashed at all times. For any updates about the trails you can check this website.

There are some pretty views along the forest roads as you walk.

In this picture you can even see Mt. Rainier in the distance. I bet it would be spectacular on a really sunny day!

I spotted a bird's nest

This lichen caught my eye

I didn't see too much color, aside from this Holly

At the end of the hike, we spotted several caterpillars

Hope you enjoy the spring hiking! Happy Trails.

Megan

Big Gulch Trail - Mukilteo ~ February 2012

The Big Gulch Trail in Mukilteo is another close to home trail that is great for a quick walk or hike. It ends (or begins at the Mukilteo Library, so you could even combine a trip to the library with a quick hike. :-)

There are several miles of trails that can be accessed from the 92nd St. Park, the Mukilteo Library or the Stay Bridge Suites Hotel.

We made a loop from the 92nd St. Park around to the library and back to the park. It was a nice walk, muddy, but nice. Be prepared for wet, muddy conditions on parts of the trail.

As you can tell by the next three pictures, the kids enjoyed climbing over everything that they could!

I did spot a couple of mushrooms along the trail.

Happy trails!

Japanese Gulch Trail - Mukilteo - April 5, 2012

The Japanese Gulch Trail is only about 15 minutes from my house. That's why it is surprising that I had never been here before! 

It has around 14 miles of trails that are used by hikers and mountain bikers. If you don't like to get muddy, find a different trail. We encountered quite a bit of mud, several washouts and a few places that required sliding on your backside.

This is one of the washouts that we encountered shortly after leaving the parking area on 5th St. This next picture was a steep hill that had a rope to assist you up.

There are a lot of intersecting trails and I would suggest printing a map, so that you have a general idea of where you are going. The trails are not named or marked in most cases, but the map can help you to keep your general sense of direction.

We encountered several bikers and hikers on the trail, but we were mostly by ourselves. I would imagine that this is a pretty packed place on the weekends (especially summer).

Bleeding Hearts beginning to bloom

Salmon Berry blossoms

Huckleberries were starting to blossom as well

Some fungus photos:

One of the steep parts of the trail

Catching some air on the way down

A view of the Puget Sound from one of the higher spots on the trail

A bridge that crossed the drainage creek

Happy trails!