Beautiful well maintained trail that is completely free! The ravine bridge was a fun adventure. There was plenty of seating and a huge variety of flora.

Just like mountains, Bellevue was busy today. Parking was not easy to find both at Botanical Garden and in the downtown.

At the gardens, some azaleas, magnolias, and cherries are in bloom, accompanied by colorful fritillaries.

At the downtown park, cherries are all gone, and the entire area around them is covered with “spring snow” - layers and layers of petals.

Happy solstice! Garden d'Lights is back at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens until 12/31 (closed xmas). Tickets are not sold at the gate -- only online.

Our tickets were for 5:30, and boy was it crowded with children (expected). If you prefer quiet, or if kids aren't your thing, you might consider booking a later timeslot. We were two adults and a cat ($8 pp for adults).

The garden itself was brilliantly lit. The walking track was short, I'd guess less than half a mile. My favorites were the dragon, banana slug and snail. We walked slowly and were done in about 35 minutes.

Be careful where you park. It's dark out, and there are a ton of people driving crazy. The initial lot is likely to be full, so you might need to park at Willburton HIll Park.

Two friends and I walked a day loop hike through Bellevue Botanical Gardens and Kelsey Creek Park.  We started just before noon, with over cast skies and it was 45 degrees.  We parked in the 2nd level of the gardens upper lot.  The restroom facilities were open.  Many gardeners and lights maintenance folks were busy at work.  Much to our surprise and delight  all the holiday lights were turned on when we arrived.  It was fun to walk around see the intricacies of each light display during daylight hours.  It’s been about 5 years since I’ve seen the garden lights at night so fun to see many new light display additions.  We followed the Takeuchi Loop trail down over the Ravine Experience swinging suspension bridge to the Lost Meadow Trail and connecting trail down to Bellevue International School campus. From there we walked surface street sidewalks (128th AVE SE & SE 7th Pl) directly into the south end of Kelsey Creek Park. Following the gravel path to the south around the barn and pasture areas we headed back north and crossed over Kelsey Creek.  On the hillside to the east we made a loop on the trails  below the Pipeline Trail and back to the barn complex area.  You can’t visit Kelsey Creek without stopping by the see the sheep, pigs and goats.  The main bathroom facility in the park was open. We exited Kelsey Cr Park on SE 4th PL and headed west  to 128th where we turned right and entered the first wooded path (Wilburton Hill park Trail) back up to the Botanical Gardens  around Yao Garden.  We were out for just over 2 hours with a couple snack and restroom breaks for a 4.7 mile loop. Every trail we walked on was well drained and mostly clear of leaf debris.  The Botanical Gardens had way more trail traffic than Kelsey Creek Park.  Another fantastic day out in nature with friends.

The hiking grandmas caught the senior day at the Garden'd Lights today. This was a special treat where they turned on the lights during the day, so those of us who are not comfortable driving much in the dark can come enjoy the display. It was really pretty and festive and will be so much better at night! We walked all around the gardens after we finished with the display, but during the night display the regular trails are closed off. If you're after a workout, this is not the place. Exercise first, then finish with the garden. Excellent ADA, wide gravel paths with a very gradual grade.