Walked the Sand Point/Magnuson Park paths early Friday afternoon in the sunshine.  No issues with parking or the trails other than significant goose doody all over.  Portipotti restrooms are all open.  Not much wildlife out today, gulls, crows, a few ducks and Canadian geese but not much else.  I did hear the first frog of the season over in the reclaimed wetland area on the south side of the park.

Hot tip - if there is a NOAA security officer at the gate station next to the dog park, and if you ask nicely and give your ID, they will let you into the iconic Sound Garden over on the secure NOAA station property.  It's super cool by itself and has even greater meaning to the local music community.  

Nice 3 mile walk with one hill that we went up. Really nice, huge dog park and trail! It was great seeing all the big friendly dogs running around. We also had a stroller and there was really only one sketchy spot where you had to go around a downed tree, but otherwise it was mostly sidewalk with a few muddy trails. 

Magnuson is in my old neighborhood and is currently under renovation - so every time I go now, it is a little, or a lot, different. I went today because the dog is recovering from a back injury and I am recovering from a bug with a sore throat ... so nothing strenuous was on the list, just a place for us both to stretch our legs and enjoy the fall colors. 

I started around Promontory Point - a side of the park I have not explored before. Mt. Rainier was out and the temperature was in the 60's. While there were a few people, there are so many trails to amble along that it seemed like there was no one else around much of the time. We ambled toward the Frog Pond trails, passing Straight Shot, a sculptural installation. While walking near the ponds, we sighted a Cooper's Hawk in the brush - perfectly posed where it was to dark for a good picture. Then we wandered toward the lakeshore. Great variety - forest, beach, wetlands.

I spent a pleasant afternoon this past Sunday wandering the trails at Magnuson Park.  I've been to the park before and was already familiar with individual areas such as the dog park and kite hill, but this time I focused on exploring the entire park's trails.  I parked at the E1 parking lot in the Southeast corner of the park with the intention of walking along the Beachwalk Trail, and instead found myself exploring the wooded trails of Promontory Point. 

Tucked in the southernmost section of the park, the Promontory Point trails are the most secluded paths in the entire park.  If you start at the Environmental Learning Center, you'll find a board listing all the native plants in the area and can focus your walk on following the signs along the interpretive trail (which is a bit overgrown).  The trail leads uphill through the woods to Promontory Point, which includes nice views of the lake through the trees.  Apparently there is also a Butterfly Garden tucked back in Promontory Point somewhere but I couldn't find it (although I did see some nice butterflies).

After exploring Promontory Point, I walked along the Beachwalk Trail past the Fin art installation.  I'd never really noticed it before and was fascinated by the hulking metal submarine fins poking out of the ground like a sea of shark fins.  I continued along the trail to the dog park and followed the park's perimeter to the community gardens.  It's such a delight to see the cornucopia of plants and flowers under cultivation there.  I returned to my car via the Frog Pong Trail as it wandered through the park's wetlands.  

Note that access to the Sound Garden installation on NOAA's campus has been restricted since the Sept 11, 2011 attacks.  To gain access, you have to go to the security guard station at NOAA's entrance during business hours and ask for a pass.

More details and photos are available in my blog: 

Meandering the trails at Warren G. Magnuson Park