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!

Hiking Bucket List 2012

Well, here goes my hiking aspirations for the coming year! In no particular order. :-) Please comment if you have suggestions, reviews or corrections.


Meadowdale Beach Park


Roundtrip: 2.5 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Drive time (from North Everett): 30 minutes
Parking Pass required: No


Mercer Slough Nature Park  - More here


Roundtrip: 6 miles of trails
Difficulty: Easy
Drive time (from N. Everett): 40 minutes
Parking Pass required: No


Wallace Falls State Park - WTA link -done


Roundtrip: 5.5 miles
Difficulty: moderate to difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett): 45 minutes
Parking Pass required: Discover Pass


Bridal Veil Falls 


Roundtrip: 5 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 50 minutes
Parking Pass required:  Recreation Pass required


Iron Goat Trail 


Roundtrip: Variable - up to 10+ miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 20 minutes approx to Iron Goat Trail Interpretive Site Trailhead
Parking Pass required: Recreation Pass required


Big Gulch Trail - Yelp trip report -done


Roundtrip: 2 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 15 minutes
Parking Pass required: No


Japanese Gulch Trail - Maps - more info -done


Roundtrip: 14 miles of trails total
Difficulty:easy - difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett):15-20 minutes
Parking Pass required: No


Lake Twenty-Two


Roundtrip: 4-5 miles roundtrip
Difficulty: moderate - steep
Drive time (from N. Everett): one hour approx.
Parking Pass required: Recreation Pass required


Ashland Lakes



Roundtrip: 5.5 miles
Difficulty: easy terrain - longer distance though
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 15 minutes
Parking pass required: No


Bob Heirman Wildlife Preserve


Roundtrip: 3 miles
Difficulty: easy
Drive time (from N. Everett): 25 minutes
Parking pass required: No


Rockport State Park 


Roundtrip: 3 miles
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 25 minutes
Parking pass required: Discover Pass


Sauk Mountain


Roundtrip: 4.2 miles
Difficulty: moderate - difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 50 minutes
Parking pass required: No


Cougar Mountain - Past hike there


Roundtrip: Varied - 36 miles of trails
Difficulty: easy - difficult
Drive time: (from N. Everett): 55 minutes
Parking pass required: No


Brightwater Center -done


Roundtrip: 3 miles of trails
Difficulty: easy  - moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 30 minutes
Parking pass required: No


Rasar State Park


Roundtrip: 3.7 miles
Difficulty: easy - moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 15 minutes
Parking pass required:  Discover Pass


Paradise Valley Conservation Area


Roundtrip: varies - 13 miles of trails
Difficulty: easy - difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett): 35 minutes
Parking pass required: No


Lime Kiln Trail -done


Roundtrip: 7 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 35 minutes
Parking Pass required: No


Canyon Lake Trail


Roundtrip: 6 miles 
Difficulty: moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 15 minutes
Parking pass required: No


Pinnacle Lake Trail


Roundtrip: 3.8 miles
Difficulty: Difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 20 minutes
Parking pass required:  Recreation Pass required


Carkeek Park


Roundtrip: 6 miles
Difficulty: easy - moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 35 minutes
Parking Pass required: No


Franklin Falls


Roundtrip: 2 miles
Difficulty: easy
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 25 minutes
Parking Pass required: Recreation Pass required

Twin Falls

Roundtrip: 3 miles
Difficulty: easy - moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour and 10 minutes
Parking Pass required: No


Boulder River


Roundtrip: 2.5 to 8.6 miles
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 10 minutes
Parking Pass required: No


Talapus Lake Trail


Roundtrip: 4 miles
Difficulty: Difficult - steep
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1hour 20 minutes approx.
Parking pass required: Recreation Pass required


Little Mountain Park - Mt. Vernon - WTA link


Roundtrip: 4 miles of trails in total
Difficulty - moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 45 minutes
Parking pass required: No


Little Cranberry Lake


Roundtrip: miles of trails
Difficulty: easy - moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 5 minutes
Parking pass required: No


Whistle Lake - more info


Roundtrip: miles of trails
Difficulty: easy - difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 
Parking pass required: No


Heart Lake


Roundtrip: miles of trails
Difficulty: easy-difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour
Parking pass required: no

Lord Hill Regional Park ~ January 10, 2012

We picked the most gorgeous day for a hike at Lord Hill! There were clear, blue skies and sunshine.

Here you can see the blue sky, as well as my son with a deer-in-the-headlights look!

There were 3 cars in the parking lot when we arrived at 11am. 2 people were leaving and I saw several people just setting off for a trail run. This is a multi-use trail and can be used by hikers, bicyclists and equestrians. We encountered a couple of people hiking with their dogs. Even though we didn't see any horses this time, there is evidence along the trail that they had been there recently - hoof prints and horse droppings. So do watch where you step, as we also saw several piles of dog waste that some thoughtless dog owners failed to pick up.

I love this park because it is so close to home (30 minutes), yet it feels like you are up in the mountains. There are a couple of viewpoints where you can see quite a distance on a clear day. Maps were available at the trailhead, although you could print one ahead of time just to make sure that you have one with you. There was plenty of mud on the trails, so be sure to wear appropriate boots or shoes. We brought a lunch and hiked out of the parking lot on the Main Trail. We cut off on the West View Trail and walked until we reached the viewpoint. The elevation is  not terribly high at 650 feet, and it doesn't give you much of a view during the spring, summer and fall months, but......if you go in the winter when the leaves are off the trees you actually get a decent view of the surrounding countryside! There is also a picnic table and bench at this location, so it makes a nice spot to stop and eat lunch.

The kids had fun playing on a gravel pile where we stopped for lunch.

This is the bench from the viewpoint that I talked about.

After we ate, we walked back the way that we came and headed back to our cars.

There was not much in the way of blooming things or fungus. I did take a couple of pictures though.

I found some brand new stinging nettle peeking through
the leaf litter.

These tiny mushrooms were growing along the trail on some dead wood.

Happy Trails!

Paradise Valley Conservation Area ~ December 1, 2011

We went for a very chilly hike at the Paradise Valley Conservation Area. I think temperatures stayed in the 30 degree range while we hiked! There was a lot of fog as well. It was nice to be outside and get some exercise and fresh air though, despite the cool weather.

I haven't been to this area before, but I will definitely be back. I printed a map to bring with me as this is one of those places that has a variety of looping trails.

We walked from the parking lot on the mainline trail and cut off on the Wetland Plateau Trail. We ate lunch where the trail ended at the Southern Traverse Trail and then turned around and headed back the way we came. We walked almost 2 miles round trip. This was plenty long as everyone was ready to warm up when we got back to the parking lot!

We encountered some mud on the trail, one viewpoint of Mt. Baker that would have been nice if we weren't fogged in, several other hikers and a couple of leashed dogs.

The brochure (found in the map link above), says that the parking lot can be full on busy weekends. I would save this hike for the off season or weekday times to avoid the crowds.

Found lots of very large, yellow leaves. I think they are Black Cottonwood? Someone correct me if I'm wrong. :)

I also noticed many pieces of wood and branches that had hair ice on them. I've never seen anything like it. It was really pretty. At first I thought it was some kind of slime mold or fungus.

Here are the fungus pictures:

I thought this was a cool picture of the leaf stabbed on a sharp branch.

Happy trails!

Carkeek Park ~ September 29th 2011

Carkeek Park is another great urban park with hiking trails! It was a beautiful fall day and we enjoyed being outside! This is another place that it is helpful to have a map so that you can figure out where you want to go. Some of the trails are marked with signs, but others aren't. I printed my own map from the link above, but I did notice that they had some pre-printed at some of the information signs as well. We didn't walk too far today as we had some younger kids with us, but we enjoyed a leisurely stroll along some of the trails. This would be a perfect place to introduce kids to hiking without having to drive a long way. Another benefit is being able to stop and head back to the car whenever your little one is tired. We followed the Lower Meadow Trail from the main parking area towards the beach access. From there we meandered along the North Bluff Trail, checking out the viewpoints along the way.

A little incline along here, but nothing too challenging.

From there we cutoff onto the North Meadow Hillclimb Trail until we reached the Grand Fir Trail. We followed the Grand Fir Trail until we reached the North Traverse. We walked down the 12th Ave. Hillclimb until we came back to the main parking area. We crossed through the parking area and wandered down the Piper's Creek Trail until we reached Piper's Orchard.

We saw a lot of these in one area along the Piper's Creek Trail. They appeared to be some
sort of art. They were made out of corrugated cardboard glued together and seemed to be
in a shelf fungus or hive shape.

A bridge along the Piper's Creek Trail

This is a beautiful old orchard full of heirloom variety apple trees. Lots of apples on the ground and in the trees. We had a lot of fun walking around and looking at the different trees.

This was a really interesting apple tree. It had two "tracks" worn into the trunks
that were just perfect for rolling some of the fallen apples down.

Here is the bottom of the track where the apples landed.

Some of the artwork that is scattered throughout the park with the orchard in the background

I saw a few mushrooms and other fungus.

This shelf fungus was beautiful!

Lots of beautiful colors out:

Stinging Nettle

Snowberries

A few of the yellow fall leaves in the creek

Happy Fall Trails!