We went for a post holiday walk/ hike at Bellevue Botanical Gardens today!  It was 48 degrees with partially cloudy skies when we pulled in at 10:15. The upper lot had about 8 cars parked there. The bathrooms were open and the holiday lights were on. If you want to beat the crowds and not prepay online for entry to the light show after dark hours try viewing during daylight hours. The gift shop and hot beverage station was also open. Each year I am surprised to see new light additions to the holiday display. After viewing all the light displays we followed the outside loop and wound down to the ravine experience suspension bridge on the Tateuchi Trail and then took a right on the Lost Meadow trail down to the Bellevue International School grounds. Continuing 3 short blocks on surface streets we entered Kelsey Creek park at the south end. Trails here were saturated soil and there were some serious, slippery, mud sections. Hiking poles would have been helpful here and we were glad to have worn hiking boots. We followed the Tributary Creek below the barn and pasture area and went right over Kelsey Creek.  Then made a counterclockwise loop on the hillside. Chickadees, Juncos and sparrows were flitting everywhere in the forest. After visiting the animals in the farm area we exited KC at the north end and walked the 3 blocks back to the SE corner of Wilburton Hill Park. There was evidence of several downed trees cleared from the bomb cyclone. We followed the perimeter loop through the woods around the baseball complex and soccer field back to the Botanical Gardens through Yao Gardens. We ended up with 4.7 miles. Another great day out in nature with friends.

Went to the Garden d'Lights exhibit tonight! We parked at Wilburton Hill Park for the free parking (it's $5 to park at the botanical gardens themselves). It's a pretty easy quarter-mile walk over to the gardens from the parking lot along a sidewalk.

The Wilburton Hill Park parking lot was quite empty when we got there around 5:15 for a 5-5:30 entry window. The bathrooms at the parking lot were open and quite clean. The restrooms just inside the entrance to the exhibit were also open and clean.

The exhibit was really fun! Lots of fun stuff to see, including: a fire-breathing dragon, a spider getting ready for dinner, a scarecrow in a cornfield, an elf's tree house, and a teddy bear.

We must have gone at just the right time for some quiet walking — as we were finishing up, it seemed like a lot of folks were just showing up.

I came to Garden d'Lights last year for the first time and it was, well, delightful to go again this year! It's not a very long exhibit, so we (2 adults) were in and out in about 30-40 minutes taking our time. We had fun though and thought it was definitely worth going. 

Fall color is probably at its peak right now.  

The park is getting set up for Garden D’Lights, so there is that added bonus. 

There is also a coffee shop at the park.  

beautiful flowers easy walk for anyone.

After a long hike yesterday, I was glad when my friend picked a mellow stroll thru the gardens and some of Kelsey Creek. Lots of summer color in the gardens, worth checking out if your garden is looking a bit tired, inspiration for a garden center visit! Kelsey Creek looks to be a fun outing for kids, chickens, bunnies, goats and horses and a glassed in beehive so you can see how honey comes to 'bee'. I only got 4 miles to add to my hikeathon total, shooting for 100, have 6 more to go!