Getting to know King County’s Regional Trails System
As the recently hired Communication Specialist for King County’s Regional Trails System, I’ve taken the last couple of weeks to familiarize myself with this amazing resource. Starting in the north end, I visited with our Parks District Maintenance Coordinator, John Mabry, whose crew is based in Marymoor Park. If you’ve never been to Marymoor Park, might I suggest a visit this weekend for CHOMP! – King County’s celebration of local farming, food, and sustainability? It’s going to be a blast!
It was really inspiring to see the work these guys and gals are doing on our northern trails and parks. From installing playgrounds, fabricating bridges, and generally being awesome to fighting back the tangle of blackberries, Scotch Broom, and other noxious weeds that threaten our native plant life, John’s motto for his team is “not good, but great”.
If you haven’t taken the time to visit the trails John’s crew are hard at work maintaining, you’re missing out! From beautiful views on the Sammamish River Trail to the quiet serenity of the Redmond Ridge Trail to the breathtaking open wetlands and towering cedar groves along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail (the gravel trail pictured), these well-maintained and breathtaking paths will leave you with a greater sense of wonder at the amazing richness our Regional Trails System provides King County residents.
So, if you haven’t visited a trail recently, come with me on my journey, use King County’s Path Finder to find a trail near you, or view the entire Regional Trails System. See you out there!
Yay!
I would say your first order of business (or at least high on the priority list) would be to update the KC Parks website in regards to information on specific parks. It’s woeful and has been for a long time. For example, there is almost no information on Three Forks Natural Area, despite it being super popular (mostly in summer) and what I would call a signature landscape among KC properties. Cheers and good luck!
Thanks for the feedback Greg! In fact, my first order of business IS to update the information on the website. I’ll be focusing mostly on information regarding our Regional Trails System, both existing and in the works, but I may get to parks and other backcountry trails in time. Who knows!