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King County Parks in 2020: It’s been… a year.
Way back in December 2019, we at King County Parks were already anticipating a busy and productive year. And then… Winter flooding and storms, followed by COVID-19 closures and cancellations; shifts to virtual programming and remote work for many employees; and finally, remarkably high visitation and use – these all… Read More
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Update: Dockton Park Moorage Renovation Phase 1 Underway
It’s happening! Starting November 9, we’ll be removing the inner moorage section and breakwater finger piers from the dock in anticipation of the new ones! The work will be performed from a barge and is expected to be completed by November 20, but may only take one week. During this… Read More
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Parks Playlist: Fall 2020
This year can take its ball and go home, but you’ve earned it. Read More
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Art has come to the Lake to Sound Trail!
Have you noticed anything new on the Lake to Sound (L2S) Trail recently? Once complete, the L2S will be a 16-mile non-motorized, multi-use recreational trail spanning from the south end of Lake Washington in Renton, all the way to the shoreline of Puget Sound in Des Moines. The L2S is… Read More
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Under construction: Dockton Park – marina renovation and bulkhead removal
King County is undertaking two big projects at Dockton Park during the upcoming opening in the fish window. Due to overlapping project timelines, some of the park’s amenities will be intermittently inaccessible, and at times, completely closed to public access. See timetable below. For the first project, work crews will… Read More
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Community Conversations: Young Women Empowered
Are you interested in learning about careers in the environmental field or finding out more about great organizations working in the outdoors? Read this week’s Q&A featuring Rae Parks (she/her) from one of our partners, Young Women Empowered. Rae co-manages the organization’s Nature Connections program with Neli Jasuja (she/they). The… Read More
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Community Conversations – King County Play Equity Coalition
During this extraordinary time, staying connected to our community and collaborating with our partners is more important than ever. We as King County Parks are happy to introduce a blog series to highlight different organizations that we partner with to shine a light on their work and provide them with… Read More
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Working together for more and better trails
The qualities that makes the Northwest such an amazing place to live – access to nature, beautiful landscapes, and adventure around every corner – are embodied in our system of wide, paved, and accessible public trails. King County is a founding member of a new four-county collaborative effort, the Leafline… Read More
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Community Conversations – Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust
During this extraordinary time, staying connected to our community and collaborating with our partners is more important than ever. We as King County Parks are happy to introduce a blog series to highlight different organizations that we partner with to shine a light on their work and provide them with… Read More
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Update: Taylor Mountain Trail Conditions
Many of the trails at Taylor Mountain Forest did not fare well this winter, especially during the storms in February when raging creeks washed out whole trail sections and bridges. Then, in early March, just as repair efforts were launching, a global pandemic forced us all to hunker down and… Read More
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King County Parks: Coronavirus Update
This post is no longer updated. Please visit our new COVID page for the latest information on the status of King County Parks. We will use the Plog, Facebook and Twitter, and e-newsletters to keep you up-to-date about any changes in Parks’ operations. UPDATE 04/28/2020, 1 p.m. In light of… Read More
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Hello from the King County Parks Volunteer Program!
Hi everyone! King County Parks Volunteer Program here. With this being National Volunteer Week, we wanted to stop by and do an introduction. While many of you may have worked outside with us, we realize not everyone might know that Parks has a Volunteer Program. So, during this time where we’re using technology to help stay connected, we wanted to… Read More
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Top 4 trails and parks to kick your cabin fever
Getting cabin fever? Visit one of these 4 parks or trails to get some fresh air. Read More
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New trail opens in Renton’s Black River Riparian Forest
Wednesday, February 26, brought the addition of another 1.1 miles to the Lake to Sound Trail! Elected officials from Tukwila and Renton joined Executive Dow Constantine and King County Parks Director Warren Jimenez, along with numerous community groups and advocates, to officially open Segment A of the Lake to Sound… Read More
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Yes, the weather outside was frightful.
What a winter we’ve had so far. Strong winds, snow, and torrential rain? For us? Mother Nature, you shouldn’t have. So what happens over at Parks when the weather gets rowdy? We wanted to give you a peek behind the scenes at what goes on when we kick into high… Read More
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Overcoming Obstacles to Physical Activity
What sport can you do at any age, in any place, with no equipment? Parkour! It’s a great way to get active without the costs and competition of other sports. Learn more about how a King County Parks Youth Sports Grant helped Parkour Visions expand their programming to more youth… Read More
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Forty-one miles down, three to go!
Parks is currently preparing the corridor for anticipated construction beginning in 2021! Read More
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Pro-tips for the Holidays
The King County Parks team would like to wish everyone a great holiday season. To help make sure the next week is a blast for you (and all the guests in your house) here are our Pro-Tips for the holidays in your Big Back Yard. Have a pup and hosting… Read More
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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… Read More
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Make a walk in the park a family tradition
Here’s ten of our favorite King County walks to fend off a turkey coma. Grab friends and family and start a new tradition! Read More
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Preparing for 2.5 miles of paved Eastrail – Detours starting as soon as November 25
This spring we shared the great news about the new trail bridge over I-405 and the 2.5 miles of paved trail coming to the Eastrail through our partnership with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). Now it is time to start preparing for the construction. WSDOT’s contractors will begin… Read More
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Happy Duwamish Alive Day!
On October 19th we celebrated Duwamish Alive Day with events at North Green River Park and White Center Heights Park. For 13 years, Duwamish Alive Day has been a regional day of habitat restoration events organized by the Duwamish Alive Coalition whose collaborative efforts aim to improve the health of… Read More
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Mile by mile
#YourBigBackyard has gotten just a little bigger! Check out the latest mile that has been added to the Foothills Trail south of Enumclaw. Read More
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Youth Empowerment Through Circus
Circus can be a great way for kids to get active and build social skills. The School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts (SANCA) works to share the joy of circus with youth of all ages and abilities. Check out this Story Map to learn about how our Youth and… Read More
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The Bridge Over the Black River
We have more than 300 miles of trails in our regional trails system here in King County. We here at Parks manage more than 175 miles of those. The majority of those miles can be described as rail-trails: wide, flat, and paved trails that are built in the mellow grades… Read More
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Notes from the field: Day of Caring Wrap-up
Today’s guest plogger is Charlie Wakenshaw from our Volunteer Program Last Friday, Sept 13, was United Way Day of Caring, a day we look forward to all year because it brings members of our community together to lend support for the public lands we all share. In partnership with the… Read More
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Our parks = their schools
This post is part of a series featuring grantees of the King County Parks Community Partnerships and Grants Program. Now that September has arrived, Tiny Trees kids are headed back to school.. in our parks! About 100 kids attend preschool each day in Five Mile Lake Park, Big Finn Hill Park,… Read More
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How much do our kids play? Not as much as you think. And here’s what we’re doing about it.
On Tuesday, September 10, we were excited to release the analysis and recommendations from a two-year effort conducted by the University of Washington’s Center for Leadership in Athletics and The Aspen Institute, in coordination with King County Parks and many other partners. The study, called the State of Play: Seattle-King… Read More
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The Forest Next Door
Mike and Donna Brathovde are uniquely situated to experience King County Parks’ forest stewardship activities. Since 1976, they’ve lived next to what is now known as Ravensdale Retreat Natural Area, a 145-acre forested park near Maple Valley and Black Diamond in south King County. But we’ll get to Mike and… Read More
