I've driven passed this location several times while out and about and never really stopped here until now. Mostly paved trails will twist and turn around marsh land, covered forests with decks that lead out over the water that can become slippery when wet. There are lots of song birds to listen to, water fowl and other wild life to admire.

If you travel deeper into the landscape, you'll encounter some hilly terrain but nothing entirely too difficult. During some points, the incline may get your heart pumping a little but like I said; nothing at all too strenuous. The trail is wide enough for runners, bikers and walkers. 

On a nice sunny day, there are places to sit and relax and snack while watching the cars zoom by on the nearby highway. It's a nice little park. 

Another WTA member suggested the Brightwater Center trails last week after I was complaining about one thing or another at work. What do I want to go walk around a water treatment plant for? Well - it's a lot nicer than I thought it would be. I walked all the trails Sunday morning in the sunshine for a total of a little over 3 miles with a few double backs and random wanderings. Parking is on the north side of the park next to the nice Brightwater Center and it is plentiful. There were a few folks out walking but the grounds were largely deserted. There are roughly two main loops - north and south, but each has several separate areas and side trails to other interesting things to see. The North loop has several ponds and wetland areas, a side trail up to the BNSF rail line heading north to Snohomish, (stay off the tracks,) meadows, forest areas, a covered "field house" and the fanciest solar powered outhouse I have ever seen. The south side has more open meadows, wildflowers, Howell Creek and views off a large open hill. The Brightwater Center was not open but many of the art pieces are outside so you can still see them. Quite a few various birds out, many red winged black birds, chickadees, sparrows, some sort of large raptor circling high above, etc. It is still a treatment plant, and there is some traffic noise from Hwy 9 and Hwy 522, but a nice place to get out and stretch your legs.

This trail is a very easy (all gravel) hike for all ages. We go here frequently since its just down the road from our house. Good hike for little ones to burn energy and lots of neat things to see, flowers, various plants, wetlands, and more. You can make it as long or as short as you want, it's a great loop and there are smaller loops in between. Also great for leashed dogs, although people don't always follow that rule which is unfortunate. Please clean up after your dog and keep them leashed. It's not fun to have to scrape poop off an exuberant toddler's shoe. Bees are out right now, and the occasional mosquito, but nothing major in terms of bugs.

Don't let the fact that this walk is part of the sewage treatment center deterr you, this is a nice place to walk and there is a lot to see. There are graveled trails, interpretive signage about wetlands,salmon habitat, native plants etc. There are ponds, streams and wetlands that feed into Little Bear Creek. We saw a mix of ducks, one cormorant and heard blackbirds. The plantings are beautiful, native plants mixed with ornamentals and all irrigated with treated water. The center was closed today but this is so close I will be back to check it out before a walk. This was my 2nd 'healing hike' and a nice walk in spite of its location. Turn in by the purple pipes and the parking lot is on the left. There is a portapotty behind the Center building.

I took advantage of a brief, partly sunny and warm weather window to walk my dog Blue close to home. There are three miles of trails at Brightwater Center connecting the education center to forest, meadows, wetland, wildlife, and art. I viewed an eagle, ducks, a heron and other birds I cannot identify. The center is located in Woodinville and the grounds are open dawn to dusk.