We walked around here today to take advantage of the sunny, warm day. Trails are nice and there are plenty of options. There were several other people there today as well.

It was a busy day at Brightwater on Sunday. I guess everyone wanted to get out in the sun! This was our first visit and we walked all three miles of trails. They were wide, mostly flat, and great for our wild three year old to run free. Our favorite section of trail was the short loop behind the "field house"
(which is really just a picnic shelter). This section had older trees and less road noise. The interpretive signs were interesting and we saw lots of waterfowl on the ponds. The big downside was the road noise. Brightwater is located at the 522/rt 9 interchange and the highway noise is constant and especially loud on the southern trails.

We decided to avail ourselves of a local hike near Woodinville, and the habitat preservation lands of the Brightwater Center beckoned. We arrived in the afternoon, and there was no difficulty finding parking. We started off towards the North Habitat, visiting the ponds, wetlands, and woodland areas. We climbed the lookout at the North Habitat, and then we visited the Wetscape area and the South Habitat.

The graveled trails were in good condition. We encountered a few other hikers and dogs out for an afternoon walk. Mallards and hooded mergansers could be seen in the ponds that dot the preserve. I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of flora and the peaceful nature of the open space. In the North Habitat, traffic noise was minimal, though noise picked up in the other areas of the preserve.