Wow this park is amazing! This is a little pocket of wilderness in suburban Edmonds. As you enter…read morethe park and go under the towering trees, the bustle of cars fade away. Sunlight filters through the canopy, illuminating the lush vegetation of the understory. The air is filled with the scent of the vegetation. Birds flit through the air, filling silence with birdsong. Goodhope pond hosts some waterfowl quacking to themselves. A silvery flash in the water looks like fish also reside here. This park is all too small, but I'm glad it's here. It looks like they're trying to get rid of invasive species in the park and planting native plants, a win in my book. I'm sure the animals appreciate it as well! Parking is a small lot which also contains a portable toilet.

The Pine Ridge Park trail system was cool in temperature and quiet this morning, Wednesday 9 August…read more2023. I heard chickadees calling from the canopy as I walked on the earthen trails. Spotting some water beyond a fence along a trail down slope from the trail I was on, I made my way over to check it out. The surface was calm and a solitary duck was forging for food, plunging its head beneath the surface of the water and coming back up to chomp what it found. The trees were tall and provided protection from the small falling raindrops. Wild berries were in bloom on a few plants along the trail. For parking, I went with street parking near the walking entrance on 83rd Avenue West and 208th Street Southwest.

It didn't seem like much, but it's packed full of memories for me. I've had plenty of hide-away…read moremoments here and this abandoned wharf has never let me down. I guess it could be a sight for sore eyes... but you learn to love it. So, for many years it use to be just the wharf and nothing much else. To my surprise, the City of Edmonds spiffied this place up and added some nice grass, lookout point and a playground for the kids. It's definitely not something I'd travel long and far for... but it's a great local park to check it. Learn some history while you're at it.. I know I have. It's great if you live close; there are picnic areas and the kids can run around! :)

This is a tiny park nestled in a residential neighborhood…read more The thing I like about this tiny park is that it surely never gets packed because of its size and lack of activities for little ones. Still, it's probably enough for the littlest kids or someone who just wants to get away and enjoy a decent view. There are a few parking spaces on the street and a little dirt parking lot in the park. Sorry, Yelp, for a park this small, I can't say much else.

The ducks were out on my visit to Hauge Homestead Park this morning, Wednesday 12 July 2023. On my…read morewalk in to Silver Laker after parking my car, I spotted a robin foraging in the grass and a hummingbird zipping around at the edge of some trees. A work crew was at the edge of the parking lot. Small wildflowers were in bloom towards the water and ducks were floating and preening themselves near the shore. After a few minutes, a subset of the ducks broke off and paddled towards an area of the water covered with lilypads. It was possible to venture out over the water a little ways on a shorter dock and a taller pier. A foot path past the dock and pier continued on along Silver Lake. The sands of Thornton A. Sullivan Park across the lake were visible from the water's edge. One family of ducks was friendly, with an adult and two young ones coming closer when I waved and said hello. They stayed close to the water, but did waddle around a bit. The adult kept its eye on me, it liked it when I pulled my camera out and it felt like it might have been posing for the pictures I took.

I walked into this park while walking around Silver Lake and was very impressed! I wanted to play…read morein the park so bad, there were some modern seesaw type things that I was really temped to try but I had my dogs with me and there were kids of course so I continued my stroll. There's a large lawn and a picnic area that's great for the kiddos too! The park leads to the lake, a dock and a trail where you can continue to walk around the lake. It's not too far of a walk, 30 minutes if you're walking slowly like we were. Along the lake we saw people fishing, people walking around the lake and others playing with their dogs in the water (there are signs that say no dogs on beaches and water but I've always seen dogs playing here....) . To walk around you have to walk through some residential areas where you are no longer on a trail around the lake but it's still fun.

A spattering of wildflowers were in bloom when I visited Lake Stevens Community Park in the morning…read moreon Wednesday 5 July 2023. Robins were out foraging in the grass of the soccer fields and a thin haze of wildfire smoke helped block out some of the sun's rays. A couple of the areas of the park were taped off for work to be done without interruption. Parking along the soccer fields was abundant. A few other vehicles/groups came and went while I was here including dog walkers/owners and a police car. Around the perimeter of the soccer fields was a paved walking path with faded painted arrows denoting which direction to travel. Signs along the path communicated the distance of two laps was approximately one mile.

Wanting to see new things in the neighborhood stumbled upon this park. It has a little bit of…read moreeverything. Baseball field w/300 ft outfield and lights, 2 baseball/softball fields w/210 ft outfield, 4 grass soccer/soccer fields, nice restrooms, walking paths, playground, picnic tables, forest vegetation. It was a huge surprise when we entered the park, it just opened up to WOW...where the heck did this come from?

Wonderful park. I would say if you were to rank parks in Everett, First is Silverlake, Second,…read moreForest Park, and 3rd this park with Emma Yule in fourth place.....my 3 year old son and I try out at least once every park around town. Then we rank them...lol The slides at this playground do not require skilled climbing ability to get to and go down. The way they designed the playground makes it so a 3/4 year old can play with a 8 year old very well. Plenty of swings, and other small things for them to play on as well. This park has bathrooms, a gazebo with picnic tables for birthday parties or w/e and plenty of parking. You can also walk across street and there is a cliff view for pictures. This makes it a good spot for people visiting Washington. This is also the park a lot of people go to on the fourth of July to watch fireworks.

This has to be one of those hidden gem places you hear about sometimes. The arboretum was pretty…read moreeven in September when many gardens are starting to look a little sad. We encountered a group of (unfriendly) young women in hoop skirts, a photo shoot where a Dad was slowly twirling his daughter the bride while a photographer captured the moment (so sweet!), interesting sculptures, and volunteers tidying garden beds, who chatted with my Mom as though they had been friends forever. I've found that people have varied reactions when encountering a person with dementia; I'm always grateful when people spend a few minutes chatting with my Mom. Across the street is a great overlook park with picnic tables and benches that all had great views over the harbor.

The park was nice but there was a single man (probably in his 50s) hanging around the playground…read morewhen my toddler and I got there. He disappeared into the woods and came back around behind us. When I turned around he was walking towards us and immediately stopped and turned and went the other way. It was extremely creepy. Just be aware if your surroundings

Park has a playground and a fun splash park in the summer. There is also a big field in the front.read more

A great place for a short walk as the park is not very big and you could see the entire place…read more It is still big enough for dogs to run around and let loose their energy. The view of the sea is relaxing and calming. There are benches scattered, facing the sea. At the corner, there is a sundial which I am not sure if accurate. The shadow fell between 10 and 11, and it was only 930 am on my watch. So either our daylight savings time is inaccurate or the earth has moved so fast/slow over the years the sundial is not working. Interesting thought to ponder over. There is also a mini area near the parking lot with about 4 picnic tables. You could bring food here and chill too. Parking is not the greatest as it was all gravel getting into here, and you are parking on gravel. There is also a washroom facility at the entrance area of the parking lot. It looks like a container building so I almost miss it till I saw someone else walked up the stairs/ramp to access it. When I was there, the Weyerhaeuser Office was being relocated to the park. It is not ready to be opened to the public yet. It is a historic building which tells of the story of the area pulp mill history in this area.

We had a great time! If you're looking for an intimate little park look no further! Somewhere you…read morecan bring your dog for a very short little walk or just bring your own little fire pit and hang out while the sun goes down; this is your spot!

Only twice in my life have I encountered multiple wild snakes in an approximately 20 minute window…read morewhile hiking. The first time was in Montana while I was conducting geology field work, the snakes that time were rattlesnakes. This time I encountered two garter snakes here at Narbeck Wetland Sanctuary while hiking the Perimeter Trail (South portion of the trail). The first one I heard surprised me because it was right next to the trail. The second one was making noise while traveling through brush on the side of the trail as well. That cutie I managed to get a picture of. The edge of the water in the sanctuary is full of cattails in a number of places. At one woody portion of trail I noticed a gnarly tree by the water and decided to venture closer to check it out. I noticed a Hummingbird high in the tree by some cattails. Just this morning back at the house the hummingbirds were collecting the stuffing from cattails to use for nesting material, fun to encounter another hard working hummingbird the same day in a wetland setting. I made my way closer to the water to get a better look and heard a critter flop into the water, twas a big amphibian I managed to miss with my camera. Song birds sang and water fowl called throughout the duration of my visit here today in the mid-afternoon. A carved wooden sign is located at the driving entrance/exit to the park and is artistically well done, evoking a sense of magic that I have found to accompany wetland and heathland biomes. The parking lot is small to medium in size, but there were a number of open spots so it wasn't a problem on my visit. Next to the parking lot is a restroom building that was closed today, I'm guessing due to COVID-19, a grassy picnic area, a map of the trail system, and some signage with information about the sanctuary. There are two main trails through the sanctuary: the Interpretive Trail which includes interpretive signs, and the Perimeter Trail which goes around the perimeter of the sanctuary. I hiked/walked the southern portion of both of these trails and found them both to be very well maintained. Garbage cans were located along the trail, which was convenient. Elevation gain was not immense, but it was also not completely flat. I encountered a number of soloists and groups out walking/adventuring while I was here this afternoon. By the time I left at about 3 p.m. traffic started picking up. Overall a fun experience and place to explore.

I've been working in Everett for 20ish years and had no idea this place existed. It's not located…read moreanywhere near downtown, but I was very surprised to have never heard of it. A friend recently found it on the all trails app when were seeking out a place for an easyish hike/walk. I was amazed to find this located so close to Boeing, but should probably have realized there is a lot of nature in this area. There is a small parking lot, a big sign marking the entrance and maps/informational plaques to help guide you a long. The inner loop is mostly boardwalk and goes thru a cool rock type structure. Benches were placed intermittently. The outer loop is slightly harder to locate and navigate and does incorporate part of the sidewalk. The combination of both loops is less than 2 miles and takes about 35 minutes. This seems like a great location for a break in nature during your work day. I hope to make it back here again in the future.