Carkeek park is such a gem, especially for the nature-lover: rich forests, wetlands, beaches, mountain views, hiking trails with reasonable elevation gain. I went to Carkeek for a few laps going up and down the South Bluff Trail, about 400 feet of elevation gain. I went in the evening, and although it was cloudy/drizzly, it was still a good evening workout. The Amtrak came predictably at about 5 pm. Sorry, didn't bring the camera for this one.

Alpine Art took two, relatively short in City (Seattle) walks in Discovery and Carkeek Parks. These parks both have extensive trail systems and allow some accessible forest walks in the Seattle. The Discovery Park, June 1st, walk involved walking from the North Parking lot to the North Beach area and then along the beach and up to the loop trail, returning via the “Hidden Valley Trail” to the North Parking Lot. Lupine’s were bloom along the beach trail along with butter cups, phlax and other low land flowers. The total walk was about 2.5 miles with several sets of stairs to get the heart muscle working. The trails were only damp with little mud, surprising after all the recent rain. Carkeek Park has a great number of trails with moderate elevation gain and some views of Puget Sound and the Olympics. On Saturday, June 7th, I walked the Piper’s Creek and South Ridge trails in a 2 to 3 mile loop. Good exercise again and relatively dry trails.

Why do a report on a plain old Seattle city park? Well, it's snow-free for one thing, and dirt trails are hard to find right now. More importantly, Carkeek is really quite pretty. Much of the park is located in a green and leafy canyon with a lively stream, Piper's Creek, that has its own salmon run. There's also a substantial beach even at high tide; at low tide one can walk for miles along the shore of Puget Sound. I hadn't been to Carkeek in awhile, and was pleasantly surprised at how many improvements had been made to the trails. Gravel had been laid down on many of the paths, and drainage ditches dug. There was hardly any mud at all. I walked various trails in the park including North Bluff, South Ridge, and Piper's Creek, covering about 3 miles. The North Bluff lawn was my favorite spot in the park, an open grassy field with a great view of the Olympics and Puget Sound. When exploring the park, be sure to pick up one of the useful trail maps available at information boards.

SnowDrop Trail In Carkeek Park, in north Seattle thousands of little white Snowdrops bloom in February each year. To see them drive into the park and leave your vehicle in the little lot near the sewage plant. Head east on the Pipers Creek trail to the old orchard. Just before the orchard, on the left, look for a tiny creek. Walk up this little creek shore 50 feet or so and you will come to the Snowdrop garden. I’m sure a few bulbs were planted by someone in the Piper family when this part of the park was their farm homestead. Over almost 100 years they have multiplied. I doubt you will find any other garden in Seattle with such a good display. This area has re-naturalized since the farmers left and just looks like a jumble of bushes and average undergrowth in the summer. Only now when leaves are down and branches are bare do the snowdrops show us that spring is on the way. Galanthus Nivalus is the latin species name. It's a little bulb that only grows 6 inches high. Works well in a woodland setting. Robert Michelson

Carkeek Park has a number of trails which lead to view points, along Piper Creek and all within walking distance of my Ballard home. Monday morning I decided to walk on a section of trail (South Ridge Trail) I had never completed due to muddy, sloughed sections which were not inviting to say the least. The South Ridge Trail now has two new bridges that circumvent the less desirable sections of stream crossings, making it a nice in City walk. The South Ridge Trail starts near the storm sewer pumping station and works its way up and down on a series of small ridges to a bluff overlook of the BN tracks and Puget Sound, from here a trail will take you into the neighborhood East of Swanson’s Nursery and then via sidewalks back to the starting area next to QFC (formerly Art's) on Holman Road. Round trip is 3 to 4 miles mostly on trail.