Best easy day hikes Seattle

107 Pages·2009·2.727 MB·English

by  Cox, Allen

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Best Easy Day Hikes
Seattle
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Help Us Keep This Guide Up to Date
Every effort has been made by the author and editors to make this
guide as accurate and useful as possible. However, many things can
change after a guide is published—trails are rerouted, regulations
change, facilities come under new management, etc.
We would love to hear from you concerning your experiences
with this guide and how you feel it could be improved and kept up
to date. While we may not be able to respond to all comments and
suggestions, we’ll take them to heart and we’ll also make certain to
share them with the author. Please send your comments and sug-
gestions to the following address:
The Globe Pequot Press
Reader Response/Editorial Department
P.O. Box 480
Guilford, CT 06437
Or you may e-mail us at:
[email protected]
Thanks for your input, and happy trails!
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Be st Easy Day H ik es Seri es
BBeesstt EEaassyy DDaayy HHiikkeess
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Allen Cox

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FALCONGGUUIIDDEESS®
Copyright © 2009 by Morris Book Publishing, LLC
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage
and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing
from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to
The Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department,
P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.
Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks
of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.
Layout artist: Kevin Mak
Project manager: John Burbidge
Maps © Morris Book Publishing, LLC
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cox, Allen.
Best easy day hikes Seattle / Allen Cox.
p. cm. -- (Falconguides)
ISBN 978-0-7627-5118-1
1. Hiking--Washington (State)--Seattle Region--Guidebooks. 2. Seat-
tle Region (Wash.)--Guidebooks. I. Title.
GV199.42.W22S423 2009
796.5109797'77--dc22
2009010711
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The author and The Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents
happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities
described in this book.
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Contents
Acknowledgments .............................................................viii
Introduction .........................................................................1
The Lay of the Land—and Water ..............................1
Seattle-Area Boundaries and Corridors ........................2
Weather. ......................................................................2
Wildlife .......................................................................3
Be Prepared .................................................................4
Zero Impact ................................................................6
Land Management .......................................................7
Public Transportation ..................................................8
How to Use This Guide ......................................................9
Hike Selection .............................................................9
Difficulty Ratings ........................................................9
Trail Finder .......................................................................11
Map Legend .......................................................................12
The Hikes
1. Myrtle Edwards Park to Elliott Bay Park ...................13
2. Alki Trail ...................................................................17
3. Camp Long ...............................................................21
4. Seward Park Loop .....................................................25
5. Volunteer Park ..........................................................28
6. Arboretum Waterfront Trail ......................................32
7. Green Lake ................................................................36
8. Discovery Park Loop ................................................40
9. B urke-Gilman Trail:
Gas Works Park to Fremont. .....................................44
10. Magnuson Park ........................................................48
11. S ammamish River and Burke-
Gilman Trails: Bothell Landing .................................52
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12. Soos Creek Trail .......................................................56
13. Mercer Slough Nature Park ......................................60
14. C ougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park:
Red Town and Wildside Trails .................................64
15. Squak Mountain ........................................................68
16. Tiger Mountain: Around the Lake Trail ...................72
17. P reston-Snoqualmie Trail:
Lake Alice to Snoqualmie Falls Overlook .................76
18. Twin Falls Trail .........................................................80
19. I ron Horse Trail:
Upper Twin Falls to Mine Creek ..............................84
20. Asahel Curtis Nature Trail ........................................88
Clubs and Trail Groups ......................................................93
About the Author ..............................................................95
vii
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Acknowledgments
First I would like to extend my appreciation to all who
advocate for sensible land management and the conservation
of public lands and wild habitats. Without their work, few
places such as the ones included in this guidebook would be
set aside for the rest of us to enjoy.
I would like to thank the land management agencies
responsible for the trails included in this guidebook for their
cooperation and assistance: Seattle Parks and Recreation,
King County Parks, Washington State Parks, Washington
State Department of Natural Resources, USDA Forest Ser-
vice, and University of Washington.
My sincere appreciation goes out to my editor, Scott
Adams, and the outstanding team at The Globe Pequot
Press for their guidance and clarity in helping me shape this
guidebook.
Lastly, I am grateful to Robert Pruett, Roger Ward,
and Dana Price, my dear friends and hiking companions,
who know how to appreciate an easy day hike better than
anyone. Without them, researching this book would have
required many lonely hours on the trail.
viii
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Introduction
The Lay of the Land—and Water
When you fly into Seattle on a clear day, it appears that
there’s more water than land. It is a city on and of the water.
Puget Sound makes up Seattle’s entire western border, and
the vast Lake Washington, the eastern. A ship canal slices
the city in half as it passes through yet another lake, Lake
Union, and connects the two larger bodies of water. The
Duwamish River snakes through the city’s south end and
empties into Elliott Bay—Seattle’s busy commercial port.
With Seattle waterlocked on two sides and landlocked
on its narrower north and south ends, the only way for the
city to grow is up. Neighboring municipalities sprawl north,
south, and across Lake Washington, which is spanned by
two floating bridges. With all that water, one of Seattle’s
greatest attributes is its miles of waterfront property, shore-
line public space, and dramatic water views.
East across Lake Washington sits another lake nearly
as long, Lake Sammamish, with the neighboring cities of
Redmond, Bellevue, and Issaquah lining its shores. Beyond
that, continuing east and up, the Cascade foothills rise with
plenty of land set aside for public use.
What does this landscape do for recreational opportuni-
ties in and around the city? If you guessed boating, sailing,
swimming, scuba diving, bicycling, jogging, and even para-
sailing, you’d be correct. But let’s not forget about hiking.
Seattleites love to hit the trail and take out-of-towners along
on the walk. Networks of trails in and around the city offer
a variety of settings and terrains, from urban waterfront
1
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