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Beautiful fields of lupine flowers in bloom at Van Lierop Park in Puyallup

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Looking for a wildflower photo op? If you want to take pictures of your kids in front of the flowers, or just enjoy some fields of wildflowers, I know just the place!

Update: As of July, these have largely faded. I’ll work on finding you some other scenic photo ops! The park is still a nice, short walk.

It’s the Van Lierop Park in Puyallup, and as you can see, it’s gorgeous right now with fields of lupine in bloom, and yes, it’s open, so you can enjoy the short, paved paths and the eye popping views without breaking any rules.

When we were there there were about six other families, but it wasn’t hard to stay socially distant.

You’ll find it next to Farm 12 and across from the Foothills Trail. There isn’t a lot to the park right now, but there are nice, paved paths for strolling or walking.

You should also know that there are plenty of places where the kids can pose in front of the flowers without actually wading into the fields. While there aren’t actually signs saying not to, it’s just not a great idea to tromp into the actual flowers for your photos.

And, btw, if you’re down there, you may want to stop by Farm 12 for some amazing to-go eats.

 

Six Ways to Have More Fun On a Short Walk With Kids

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What to do when you’re staying at home but you still need some fresh air, and the same old stroll down the street is getting a little dull?

Here are some fun ways to take a, “Hike,” with kids that don’t require going further than down the block (or getting too close to anyone)! These will make your daily walks with the kids seem a little more like an adventure!

Penny Hike

At each turn or intersection, your child flips the coin. “Heads,” you go left and, “Tails,” you go right. As a bonus, your neighbors will be scratching their heads wondering why you’re walking in circles!

Pajama Hike

It’s a walk in your pajamas. You’re probably already wearing them, right?

Flashlight Hike

If you and the kids are sleeping in anyway, let them stay up until dark and take a walk around the neighborhood with your flashlights. Just don’t trip!

Bear Hunt

Is your neighborhood doing a bear hunt or putting hearts in the windows? If not, maybe you could start something up! Kids walk and try to spot bears or hearts on the way. We’ve heard some folks are also putting up eggs! Hop to it!

I Spy or Alphabet Hunt walk

Any game you used to play on a driving trip can be converted to a walking game! See if your beginning readers can find each letter of the alphabet in order as you walk, or play, “I spy,” with things on your street.

Scavenger Hunt or Treasure Hunt

See if the kids can find a round rock, or a pointy leaf, and so on. There are lots of printable scavenger hunts online, but you can easily make your own. Or just let the kids decide what, “Treasures,” they want to take home. A clean egg carton is a handy container. When my boys were small we had a big flower pot on the porch to hold those sticks and pine cones that were too precious to leave behind but too dirty to bring in the house!

Where to go? These walks are all designed to be fun with your immediate family in your own neighborhood, but as of this writing there are still some area trails that are open. Obviously, you will want to check before you head out, and make sure it’s a path you can use while still maintaining a distance from your fellow walkers.

I’d love to hear what close-to-home adventures you’ve been having with your family!

Hike Report: Take a Walk Along The Cedar River and See the Salmon

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The Cedar River Trail in Renton offers a flat, easy walk or bike ride with views of the Cedar River, fall color and parks along the way. This stretch also offers three locations to view spawning salmon. These areas are staffed by docents from the Seattle Aquarium in October weekends through the 29th from 11-4.

To start your adventure, park at Maplewood Roadside Park and head up the hill to the left of the bridge. Cross the bridge and then hit the trail.

 

The trail is wide –and on a Sunday afternoon– was moderately busy with walkers, strollers, joggers and bikers. We saw beautiful fall foliage and peek-a-boo views of the river.

Soon you will come to Riverview Park and you can see the blue tents from the Seattle Aquarium from the trail. 

Join the volunteer docents at the tent and learn all about the Cedar River Salmon Journey, the salmon life cycle and pretty much anything you could ever want to know about salmon! They even loan out disposable polarized sunglasses  for easier viewing– kids loved these! Stand on the bridge and docents will point out the bright red and green fish in the water. There is also a public bathroom at this park.

Once you are done spotting salmon, continue down the trail to the Cedar River Park, which is just before the highway 405 overpass. On the way, you will pass the Cedar River Dog Park– perfect for giving your furbaby a break from the leash. Once you arrive at Cedar River Park, again, just look for Seattle Aquarium’s blue tent. We got the best views of swimming salmon at this site. This location also features a fish weir, a sort of a holding pen that captures some fish for the hatchery and allows others to pass through which is pretty cool to see. There are restrooms here, too. 

You can choose to make a U turn here or continue on to the Renton Library for another staffed fish viewing location and a fun park. To continue, cross under the highway overpass and then pass Liberty Skate Park and Liberty Park, which has a play structure if kids need to get some wiggles out. Continue on to the Renton library for yet another look at salmon in a more urban environment. For more salmon spotting adventures check our guide here:

Let’s Go Salmon Spotting: Where to Take the Kids to See Salmon Returning to Spawn

Even if you go after the salmon spawning season this 3 mile, flat walk is a beautiful outing in any season.

 

 

 

Park Report: Nathan Chapman Trail and South Hill Community Park

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Nathan Chapman Memorial Trail (The NCT Trail) and South Hill Community Park

Contributing writer, Amy, has a report on a park and trail great for hunting painted rocks, taking a stroll, or having an adventure with new bike riders near Puyallup’s South Hill. If you’ve heard references to the, “NCT trail, ” and wondered where on Earth it is, we’re here to help!

Nathan Chapman Memorial Trail (simply known as “NCT” to locals) and South Hill Community Park are a sweet little two-fer that includes both a nature trail and playground. Nestled discreetly on South Hill on the corner of 144th St E and 86th St E, just down the road from Rogers High School, you would never know that this calm and beautiful landscape is mere blocks from the hustle and bustle of Meridian.

Trail at Nathan Chapman Park

The 1.6 miles of paved trail is actually split into two separate walks, both accessible from the trailhead access point at the north end of the parking lot, or the playground trail at the south end of the parking lot. All of the trails are paved with almost no incline, making it perfect for strollers, wheelchairs, and little ones learning to ride. Trails are pet-friendly and offer waste bag stations at both ends of the trail.

 

 

The South Hill Loop is a short loop that encircles the soccer fields and wetlands, perfect for those looking for a short walk. The Nathan Chapman Memorial Trail is a longer path that meanders through the woods and back toward the surrounding neighborhood. Both trails are mostly forested, offering ample shade on a warm day and beautiful colors in the fall.

 

This trail system gets a lot of use, seeing increased usage over the past year or so as it has become a popular spot for the rock painting movement. It’s not uncommon to come across people hiding or finding painted rocks along the path, so keep your eyes peeled and you may find a treasure for yourself!

 

 

Playground at South Hill Community Park

The playground boasts three separate structures. One for older kids that includes a climbing wall and tube slide, one for toddlers that includes a short tunnel and small slide, and a set of two swings. Both are “big kid” swings, and there are no baby swings or special needs swings at this park.

 

 

The modest restroom facility includes two bathrooms and a water fountain that are only open seasonally and typically close during the winter. There are no baby changing tables, so plan to head back to the car if you’ve got littles in diapers. There are also two picnic tables near the playground as well as a few benches.

 

One draw of this play space is the huge field area, consisting of two full-size soccer fields. They can get a little muddy during the rainy season, but offer ample space for all park goers to find an area to play the sport of their choice.

 

**Be aware that there have been reports of car prowls in the parking lot. Be certain that you secure your vehicle and do not leave any valuables in sight in your car!

** Also, several readers on our Fb page warn that there is a big problem with dog poop here-even right on the trail. Ewwww. Also, Ewwww. Anyway, look out for that, and those of you with dogg-os, please do scoop the poop!

Amy Rogers

Hike Report: Deep Lake at Nolte State Park

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Nolte State Park offers an easy, 1.4 mile trail that is family and dog friendly. With an elevation gain of only 52 feet and peek-a-boo views of the lake, this loop makes a lovely walk.

To park in the lot you will need a Discover Pass.  At the entrance there is a booth with an attendant, so be sure and have your pass ready. You can also purchase a day pass for $10, but at $30 per year, an annual pass is a darn good deal.

The trail head is located in between the restrooms and the play structure and is clearly marked. We noticed that they have a receptacle for micro filament recycling (the white container in the picture) –pretty cool!

The gravel path is pretty wide and you could definitely take your all-terrain stroller on this walk, and we saw folks riding bikes, too. There are occasional offshoots from the trail that go to picnic tables or the shore of Deep Lake.  Just stay on the widest path. There are a couple of small hills, but otherwise it’s pretty flat. We saw lots of huge trees, root balls with hanging moss, butterflies and dragonflies.

Although the trail takes you through the forest, you will catch glimpses of the lake.

The trail takes you right back to where you started, and the whole 1.4 loop took us about 40 minutes to walk, with plenty of breaks when the kids were checking out trees or wildflowers or chasing butterflies…  Now that you’ve gotten in some exercise, enjoy a swim in Deep Lake, go fishing, check out the play set or grab a snack at the picnic tables.

The restrooms were really clean and parking was plentiful. This is a great walk for the whole family and an excellent starter hike.

Nolte State Park   36921 Veazie Cumberland Rd SE, Enumclaw, WA 98022

Check out our park and swim report for Deep Lake

 

Hike Report: Twin Falls in North Bend

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This is a great family hike at Olallie State Park in North Bend. There are plenty of shady areas on the trail, places to stop and play by the river, a giant tree, huge rocks, wildflowers and of course– waterfalls!

To get there, take exit 34 from I-90. Turn right onto 468th Ave SE, then left on SE 159th st. This road ends in the Twin Falls trailhead parking lot.

You’ll need a Discover pass to park at the main Twin Falls trailhead parking lot, but if you don’t have one, there is street parking along the road before the entrance. The trailhead offers a restroom and a map kiosk, it’s a good idea to take a phone picture of the map in case you need it later.

Start out on the main trail which runs alongside the river. You’ll go through a swampy area that has lots of different plant life including skunk cabbage and –when we went in May– lots of wildflowers. Along the river part of the trail, you’ll see lots of smaller paths going down to the riverbank. If you ever want to make it to the waterfall, do what I did and tell the kids you’ll go to the river on the way back. If you stop, they might have so much fun playing that your hike will end there!

You’ll cross a wood bridge, then the trail heads away from the river and into the forest.

The trail winds through the woods until you come to a giant rock at the base of a hill. After you pass the rock, the trail continues up, up, up in a series of switchbacks.

Your first break will be a scenic viewpoint of the lower falls. There is a bench there, but as of my last visit, no trash can- so come prepared to pack out what you pack in. The falls are fairly distant, but still impressive! This is a perfect spot for a water or snack break. You can choose to turn around here or continue to the next, closer view of the falls.

View of lower falls from “The Benches”

From the benches you will continue down a hill where you will find Big Tree.  I found out after I took this picture that you aren’t supposed to walk around the big tree, whoops! There is no fence or sign, but I read that hikers walking around the tree compacts to soil, which isn’t good for the tree. So don’t do what I did- don’t let your kid go right up to the tree.

Big Tree

 

The Upper Falls

After you’ve enjoyed Big Tree, take the trail up a few more switchbacks. When you come to a short wooden bridge, you are almost at the next stopping point. You will see stairs off to the right that descend to a wood platform and an amazing view of the falls. The deck is pretty small, so on crowded days, you may have to wait.

We turned around after the second view of the falls, but you can continue up the hill to a bridge which offers a third view of the upper falls. To get back, go back the same way you came. On the way back, we stopped to relax by the river.  We saw a few people playing in the water, but of course, keep a close eye on your kids– the river runs deceptively fast and it is cold!  

Need more kid friendly hiking?  SFM loves the new edition of (my affiliate link)  Best Hikes With Kids.

For still more ideas, see our round up of favorites here! Note you’ll need to wait until summer for many of these; we always recommend checking trip reports at the Wta.org site for latest conditions and tips.

Tiffany Doerr Guerzon

Hike Report: Fairy Trail in Black Diamond

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If you’ve never hiked in Black Diamond Open Space,  you should check it out! There are miles and miles of trails shared by pedestrians, bikes, and sometimes even horses. ** This hike is an easy one and is more of a nature walk, suitable for younger kiddos or folks that don’t want too much elevation. This trail is called the Lake Sawyer Railroad Company Trail, but it is nicknamed the “Fairy Trail” because there are fun fairy doors on the trees.

Here is a good trail map. As always, we suggest you prepare for your hike by packing the Ten Essentials.

** Keep in mind that this is a multi use trail, and you should be ready to yield to horse or biker riders.  We heard from one reader who was concerned about hikers with young ones not being able to get out of the way of bikes, so keep that in mind if you decide to try this one.

 

The parking area is located off of Highway 169, at the north edge of Black Diamond near Maple Valley. If you are driving south on Highway 169, there is a small, gravel parking lot on the west side of 169 soon after you pass 288th street in Maple Valley. There is no sign. If you reach the larger parking area on the other side of 169 (like I did) you’ve gone too far. Just turn around and go back.

To find the trail head, take the trail that starts just past the Port O’ Potty. You won’t see any signage or trail markers until further in. When you come to the first intersecting trail, stay straight. At the next intersection, you will see the Lake Sawyer Railroad Co sign on a tree.

Turn left onto Lake Sawyer Railroad Co trail. Once you are on the path, keep your eyes peeled! These fairy doors are tiny, only an inch or two in size. They are stapled onto the trees. Be sure to look high and low! This is a short stretch; once you get to the next trail sign, just turn around and go back.

I’d heard that there is sometimes fairy furniture too, but we didn’t see any. Unlike the Gnomes Trail, which has actual gnome statues, here you will only find the doors to fairy homes. I guess fairies are shy!

We found several painted rocks too!

Just FYI, other than the aforementioned portable potty, there are no facilities. We brought our dog, but there were no trash cans or waste bag stations. The trail is not gravel, so there are roots and rocks, but overall it was a pretty easy walk. If you want to walk a bit more, one offshoot from this trail goes to Ravensdale Creek. (Marked Ravensdale Creek). It will add about a half mile to your trek. As always, make sure this hike is a good fit for your hikers and their needs and abilities.

Enjoy!

Tiffany Doerr Guerzon

PS If you like this hike, don’t miss the Gnome Trail! 

Playground Report: Sunset Terrace in University Place

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Playground Report: Sunset Terrace

Tabitha has a report on a University Place park that’s family friendly and has a playground great for toddlers to big kids! Plus, it’s close to Fircrest and East Tacoma. What more could you want? Read on for all the scoop!

This University Place park is very close to Fircrest and East Tacoma on 19th St W, not far from Highway 16 and is a perfect spot to play with kids of all ages. 

The playground is spread out so kids aren’t crammed together, and it’s a great park if you have multiple children.

A couple structures focus on ages 2-5. They’re not as tall, have small slides, a cute, small bench, and a small climbing wall that the little kids also use as a slide. The playground also has a bigger section for ages 5-12. It’s taller and has stuff to climb on and hang from. There are also swings for all ages and a tire swing to spin on. The playground isn’t fully fenced in, but it does have a fence adjacent to the main street.

[Read more…]

Redondo Boardwalk and Sand Beach

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Redondo boardwalk, pier, and beach makes a nice outing for families with kids of all ages. The boardwalk was rebuilt recently, creating a beautiful walk with beach access.

Parking: We were lucky enough to find free, street parking but there is also a paid parking lot right across the street from the pier for $1/hour-$8/day. We went on a weekday, and I imagine $8 will be a bargain on a crowded weekend. Note from SFM: One of our awesome fb readers let us know that you need to bring exact change. She only had a ten and wasn’t able to get change from the meter. Yipes!

Once you park and cross the street, check out the pier. You’ll see plenty of folks with fishing lines in the water and you can catch a beautiful view.

Between the pier and the boardwalk there are two stands; one selling coffee and another renting kayaks and paddleboards, as well as selling ice cream and other snacks. There is also a stand with fish n chips from Salty’s that is reader recommended!

The boardwalk is wide and stroller/dog friendly. Starting near the boat launch, it’s a little less than a mile if you go out and back.

There are several staircases leading to the beach from the boardwalk, which you will probably want to make use of if the tide is out because about halfway to the endpoint of the boardwalk- the beach changes from rock to sand. The boardwalk offers a scenic stroll with the ocean on one side and cool beach real estate, some with gorgeous flowers, on the other. Note: The boardwalk does go along a busy street with only a low barrier- so if you have littles with you, take care.

Bonus! We found several painted rocks, both along the boardwalk and on the beach.

The sand beach was totally worth the walk, but be sure and use the bathrooms by the pier before you head out, because there aren’t any facilities on the walk or beach. We saw lots of seashells, seagulls, boats and even a great blue heron. If you have an aeronautically inclined kid, we saw planes taking off every few minutes (I assume from Seatac airport) that seemed really close– really fun to watch. Plus, the water was calm and not too cold!

Don’t forget the sand toys!

Tiffany Doerr Guerzon

Park Report: Clark’s Creek Park South, with a Bonus Hike

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Clark’s Creek Park South:

1700 12th Ave SW, Puyallup (12th Ave SW and 17th St SW)

This beautiful park has paved paths, a creek, hiking trails, a play structure, an off leash dog park, picnic shelter and lots of open, grassy space. The whole family can enjoy a day here–even the family dog.  

Clark’s Creek Park has a north and south entrance. The south entrance is where you want to go for playing. Once you arrive, there is a good amount of parking and clean restrooms.

The play structure has several levels and offers various climbing structures, monkey bars and two slides. The play set is surrounded by paved paths for trike riding or a game of hopscotch. There are plenty of benches for parents. You’ll find lots of open grassy area for picnics or running around as well.

If you take the wide path behind the playground you will see a bit of the creek on your right and if you continue around to your left you’ll find an off leash dog park.

 

Bonus hike for two parks in one playdate:

If you want to take a short hike, you can walk to the next park, DeCoursey Park. The walk is flat and about 1.25 miles round trip. To go to DeCoursey, continue past the dog park until you reach Clark’s Creek Park North -you will know it by the baseball fields and tennis courts. Keep on the path that goes along the right side of the tennis courts. Go straight until you reach a big yellow gate. Go around the gate and cross the street-use caution here, of course.  The trail entrance is a little to the left of where you cross and you will see a wooden bridge going over the creek.

 

Cross the bridge and take the dirt path that loops around to the left. You’ll cross another small bridge then arrive at the park. Since both parks have restrooms and benches, this is a perfect 2 in 1 park play date. To return to Clark’s Creek South Park, reverse the directions. Once you cross the street the yellow gate isn’t immediately visible, but the trail is marked by a Clark’s Creek Sign.

Read more about DeCoursey Park here! It has a great, all ages playground.

Both these parks are also popular spots for hiding and finding painted rocks!