Category: Walking
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Eagle Eyes: 3 Tips for Better Birding
On a sunny, crisp morning at Marymoor Park, a dozen bird enthusiasts gathered for a workshop offered by Eastside Audubon and South Sound Nature School. The group made their way around the Birdloop Trail, which winds its way through over 300 acres of protected conservation area that offers views of wooded brush and marshy wetland…
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September 22 is World Car-Free Day!
World Car-Free Day is an annual challenge to discourage the use of private vehicles and encourage other transportation alternatives. Celebrated all around the world (it’s in the name), the event was established to highlight the environmental impact of car emissions. Also, in Washington state, this day coincides with the Week without Driving Challenge, organized by Disability…
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Walkin’ & Rollin’ on Vashon
Once upon a time about a month ago, a quiet little ceremony celebrated the official opening of a new half-mile loop trail on the north end of Vashon Island. This trail warrants a special shout-out due to the fact it is King County Parks’ only backcountry trail specifically designed for people who use wheelchairs and…
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Your Big Backyard is Getting Bigger
King County Parks had a busy year making good on the levy promise to bring 2,700 acres into the King County system by 2020. By the time 2019 rolls around, Parks will be on the lookout for a mere 500 more acres to reach the goal. As an added bonus, scooping up lands happens to…
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Happy #OptOutside
#OptOutside While #optoutside started as a way to change behaviors on Black Friday, it’s bigger than one single day. It’s a choice you make every day. You’ve heard it before: being outside is good for you. Good for your health. Good for your attitude. Spend some time taking care of yourself . . . instead…
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Why Trails?
Tell us about regional trails: Do you use them? If not, why not? What do you like about them? How could they be better? We want to hear about your experience on our regional trails – take this four-minute survey to help us understand how we can improve regional trails in the future. Regional trails…
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#OptOutside at Maury Island Marine Park
Hop on a ferry and spend the day exploring Vashon-Maury Island in the “Heart of the Sound”. With 45 miles of shoreline, Vashon is a gem of the PNW. Visitors should check out the beautiful Maury Island Marine Park. The park is located on the east side of Maury Island, a peninsula of Vashon Island. It is one of…
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Big Backyard 5K 2017 in photos
A Big Backyard thank you to everyone that attended, and huge shout out to Kaiser Permamente for their generosity. Everyone’s participation helps King County Parks stay clean, safe and open. You can find race results here. You can see the rest of the event’s photos over here.
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Random Photo Post: Sammamish River Trail
Icy morning along the Sammamish River Trail
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#OptOutside in 28,000 Acres
Today is as good as any other to be outside. Yesterday should have given you plenty of motivation, as well as pie, and more than likely, regrets. Come on out and run, walk, hike or play out in Your Big Backyard. We don’t have to have awkward political conversations out here. #OptOutside
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Friday – Avoid the #mallbrawl, #OptOutside with us
Our friends over at REI condensed our mantra into a hashtag. Words to live by. Also the hashtag that can spare you mall jail. You know. Yer all enjoying your pumpkin spice latte, with your 60 inch 4K TV on your shoulder, when some joker brushes past you and he’s got the gall to grab the last 3D-printing-self-replicating-housekeeping-drone…
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Trail Spotlight: Cedar River Trail
I set out for the parking area off of SE Maple Valley Highway, right before the Auburn-Echo Lake Cutoff road — across from Foley’s Produce — this morning to a cool 64 degrees. Which makes for the best biking weather, in my humble opinion. My goal was to ride from there to the start of the Cedar River Trail…
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Short Trips for a Long Weekend
Get out for a hike or bike ride this Labor Day weekend and visit one of King County’s 175-miles of our Regional Trails System.
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Check out the beautifully crafted wetland viewing platform at Island Center Forest
A new wetland viewing platform has been installed at the Island Center Forest Natural Area on Vashon Island. Visitors can park at the 188th St. Trailhead and walk less than 100 yards from the parking lot to access the platform. Special thanks to our Backcountry Trail Crew for their hard work and creativity in building…
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Monday Motivation: Photos from the Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series
On Saturday, King County Parks set up an outreach booth at the Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series. The day was filled with inconsistent weather, mud splattered legs but an overwhelmingly positive energy. I am not a trail runner, nor have I ever been (I actually despise running) but after talking with so many passionate athletes,…
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Hike idea: Harvey Manning Trailhead to Coal Creek Falls
Yesterday, 6/29, Anti-Aircraft Peak Trailhead at King County’s Cougar Mountain Wildland Park was renamed in honor of Harvey Manning, the longtime open space advocate and hiking guidebook author. Cougar Mountain is the westernmost outpost of the “Issaquah Alps” – a phrase Manning coined. He was a founding member of the Issaquah Alps Trails Club, and…
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Inspiration for your three-day weekend: explore Soaring Eagle Park!
Take advantage of this three-day weekend and hike Soaring Eagle Park! Celebrate the red, white and blue by enjoying the gorgeous weather and the great outdoors. Soaring Eagle Regional Park is 600 acres of mature forests, wetlands, and wildlife habitat. The park features 12 miles of trails that are regularly used by hikers, mountain bikers…
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Inspiration for your 4th of July Adventure: Ride the Cedar River Trail
Celebrate the U.S.A. by enjoying some of the country’s best natural sights. Who needs fireworks when you can take in the natural beauty of the PNW? Take a ride on King County’s Cedar River Trail for views of Lake Washington, protected wetlands AND the Cedar River…. but you probably could’ve guessed that one. The Cedar…
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Trail Alert: Sammamish River Trail
Survey crews are continuing to map property boundaries and utilities and carry out wetland delineation for King County’s sewer upgrade project in Redmond. During the week of May 23, crews are expected to be working along West Lake Sammamish Parkway, the Sammamish River Trail, and by Marymoor. You can expect to see surveyors in bright…
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Memorial Day Weekend Getaway: Dockton Park and Forest
Pack a lunch, hop on a ferry and spend the day exploring the 152 acres of working forest, saltwater shoreline and natural park lands located on the south-central part of Maury Island. Begin the day hiking around the trails in Dockton Forest. With nine miles of hiking, running, mountain biking and equestrian trails – all…
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The 2016 Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series begins this weekend!
Saturday, May 14 marks the first race in the annual Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series. Since 2003, participants have raised over $155,000 for King County Parks. Way to go, runners! There are a total of five races throughout the summer and fall. Participants have the option to run one race or challenge themselves to complete…
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Eastside Rail Corridor: (Draft) Master Plan
King County seeks public review, comment on Eastside Rail Corridor trail draft master plan. King County is moving ahead with plans to build a new regional trail on the Eastside to better connect communities and offer more mobility options – and public input is an essential part of the upcoming planning process. Read more…
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Trail Alert: Snoqualmie Valley Trail – Meadowbrook Bridge Open
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Field notes: South Utility/Mow Crew – At work, so you can play
Every once in a while someone takes time out of their busy schedule to send props to our crews and the work that they do. We forward these to the teams, but they don’t check mail much, because they are usually on to the next project. So instead of feeling like we just awkwardly missed…
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Field notes: Keeping your trails clean safe and open without the use of gnomes
As much as we’d all like to believe that gnomes are trained and disciplined enough to maintain our parks, the reality is that they are unskilled labor (with no basis in reality). On the other hand, King County Parks employees are tangible human beings, not mythical fantasy creatures, and they take care of a large swath…
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Trail Photo Contest: King County’s regional trails through your eyes
What do you see along King County’s 175-mile Regional Trails System? Share it with us and your photo could make the next cover of the regional trails map! You’ve got until September 28 to submit your photo via our Flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/rtsmapcovercontest/. Here’s how it works: 1. AM I ELIGIBLE? King County Parks employees, their…
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A day trip to Vashon in King County Parks
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Trail Alert: Construction and New Additions
Summertime means construction and lots of action on our regional trails; here’s the latest scoop! Construction Alerts From August 4 – 25, King County will be repairing scour damage around the southern pier and southern bank of Gold Creek, near the Sammamish River Trail at the bridge south of the NE 124th Street and east…
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Walk the East Lake Samm Trail with KC Parks
Join us on the trail! King County Parks is holding a series of informational meetings along the East Lake Sammamish Trail that focus on design and planning for the next portion of the trail slated for development, the South Sammamish Segment A, which goes from SE 33rd St southward to SE 43rd Way. We’re in…
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The First Ever Regional Trails System Map Cover Photo Contest!
Share your best photo of the recreation activities you enjoy on the regional trails system (RTS) in King County, and it could wind up as the cover on the official RTS map. We know you’re doing fun things out there on the RTS, so show us what you got! In addition to winning the cover…