Tag: backcountry
-
Maury Island gets some WTA love
Last month, Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director Christie True paid a visit to a group of Washington Trails Association volunteers who spent a “working vacation” week building a new multiuse trail at Maury Island Marine Park. Every summer WTA sponsors working vacation trail projects in the high country and wilderness areas of…
-
Random Photo Post: Taylor Mountain This Morning
-
Harvey Manning Trailhead Dedication, June 29
Please join King County Deputy Executive Fred Jarrett and longtime Cougar Mountain advocates and enthusiasts on Weds, June 29 at 11 a.m. as we celebrate Harvey Manning and his infinite contributions to Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park. We will be unveiling the newly renamed trailhead to honor Manning’s legacy of protecting Cougar Mountain. Among the…
-
Happy horses heart our Taylor trails
Together with the Tahoma Chapter of the Backcountry Horsemen of Washington and Washington Trails Association, we sliced through the shiny blue ribbon and celebrated our brand spankin’ new trailhead at Taylor Mountain Forest. And it was already being put to good use by the 30 some horses and their humans and trucks and trailers! Funded…
-
Field Notes: Skill, Craftsmanship, Grit, Sweat…Oh Whatever! Hand Me The GoPro And A Saw
In case we didn’t mention this before, we have a lot of acreage to take care of – like 28,000-plus acres. Every day of the week, y’know those seven, our crews are out there — supporting facilities, fields, trails, off-leash areas and one-another. This-here video is a little slice of daily life for our Small…
-
Santa’s true identity REVEALED!
-
Park Alert! Limited deer hunting opens Oct 12 at Island Center Forest
Take note! From October 12 -31, Island Center Forest will be open to deer hunting for a limited season, and no other access will be permitted on 200 acres of the park. While hunting will be allowed on the former state lands that now make up Island Center Forest, hunting will NOT be permitted on…
-
Field Notes: You can dance if you want to…
Last month, our Backcountry Trails Crew finished a brand spankin’ new trail bridge in Spring Lake/Lake Desire Park. The 29-foot bridge replaces an old, deteriorating one and connects the park with McGarvey Park Open Space. Built to US Forest Service standards, the bridge is made from salvaged wood our crew found on site and milled…
-
Spend National Trails Day, Sat, June 1, in Your Big Backyard
Join us on National Trails Day, Saturday, June 1, to learn more about our growing network of 180 miles of backcountry trails spread across more than 16,000 acres of park lands. Did you know that over our 75 year history, King County Parks has built an impressive legacy of natural lands? You know, the kind…
-
New trail at Cedar Creek uncovers Ewok village (we swear!)
This past Saturday, May 11, locals and trail enthusiasts gathered to celebrate the opening of the brand spankin’ new loop trail through Cedar Creek Park, an Ewok-like forest paradise nestled between Covington and Maple Valley in unincorporated King County. Cedar Creek Park is actually 2 parks: King County’s portion, called Cedar Downs, and the City…
-
Cougar’s Wilderness Peak Trail goes to new heights to honor local legendary climber Jim Whittaker
On the 50th anniversary of his Mt Everest ascent, local climbing legend Jim Whittaker (REI member number 0001!) is reaching new heights right here in King County. Well, technically, his name will, and that of his climbing partner, Sherpa Nawang Gombu, as we honor their accomplishments by renaming the trails that lead to the highest…
-
New trail and entrance at Cougar Mountain now open
As if Cougar Mountain Park didn’t have enough superlatives attached to it (our largest park, most popular local hiking spot, best for trail running, shall we continue?), here’s one more: New trail! New access point! In Issaquah! Off Newport Way NW! Did you catch you that? Yep, now there’s one more new way to get…
-
New and improved trails coming to Big Finn Hill Park
Big Finn Hill Park, which is nestled between Saint Edward State Park and O.O.Denny Park in Kirkland, is a versatile place: its 220 acres feature both a ballfield complex and a trails system. Some 3.5 miles of twisty, looping trails wind through the park’s forest, offering a lovely backcountry experience for hikers and mountain bikers…
-
Field Notes: Last spike + volunteers = Trail complete in Grand Ridge Park!
On Thurs, Feb 23, after 77 days and more than 4,600 volunteer hours of work over the course of 17 months, volunteers from Washington Trails Association put the last spike into the 600-foot-long boardwalk across the north hemlock bog in Grand Ridge Park. For 10 years, WTA volunteers have been building and improving Grand Ridge’s…
-
2011 King County Parks Highlights Reel, Part 1
This year has been a busy one here at King County Parks – we’ve added some new acres here and there, converted a few muddy old fields to synthetic turf, and removed a heck of a lot blackberries. Here’s the highlights reel: New stuff! Paved 1.2 miles of the East Lake Sammamish Trail in Redmond,…
-
Random photo post: Horseback on Grand Ridge Trail
-
“Hard at work so, you can play” case # 1023
Oh hi I didn’t see you there. This? Oh nothing it’s just our awesome staff (including the ever capable Backcountry Trails Crew) retrofitting a bridge we had built in partnership with the Washington Trails Association a few years ago on the Grand Ridge Trail. Based off of visitor feedback, visitors of the equestrian kind, we…
-
Backcountry trail maps online – get some
We just loaded our new backcountry maps to the the King County Virtual Map Counter. Drop by the Backcountry page to see what trails we have to offer and where your next hike, bike or ride will be then hit the counter. Enjoy.
-
Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park – Seattle Times sneak peek
Seattle Times did a walk-through of the Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park (opening in May). Give it a read, peruse the photos, and watch the video over at their site or in today’s Outdoors Section…minus the video of course.
-
WTA + Cougar Mountain + history = knowledge
The Washington Trails Association is not only a great partner (and trail builder), but has a huge member base with a vast knowledge of local trails and history. In their latest issue of Washington Trails magazine, our friend and theirs, Abbey Wolfe wrote about some of the history of coal mining on the mountain, and…
-
The Canyon Creek bridge at Grand Ridge
Grand Ridge Park is located near the Issaquah Highlands in the “Issaquah Alps” along the I-90 corridor. The park is a 1,200-acre site featuring lush forests, winding creeks, and some 7 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. For several years now, King County Parks has partnered with Washington Trails Association to…
-
Random Photo Post: Taylor Mountain trails
-
Trailsfest 09: Debuted the new backcountry trail maps
Saturday’s Trailsfest at Rattlesnake was a lot of fun. Our booth was jammed all day. People loved the new backcountry trail maps, learning about places to hike and ride that they had never heard of.
-
Seattle Times on Tolt-MacDonald Park
King County’s Tolt-MacDonald Park was profiled in this week’s Outdoors section in the Seattle Times. Check out Tolt for a day hike, family event, mountain bike ride, or weekend outing. And don’t forget the yurts! Tolt’s got ’em, so you can get out of town and into nature, but stay comfy, cozy and dry. So…
-
Progress on Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park
We went out to meet Mike Westra of Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance (EMBA) to take a look at their progress on the Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park. EMBA does some impressive work!