I guess the hills at Forest Park were not quite enough today so when a friend said we should get out for a walk, we met at the Sno-Isle co-op and headed down to the Mill Town Trail and beachfront.

There were about 5 cars at the parking near the Pigeon Creek entrance but it didn't feel crowded once we made it to the water just in time before the sun was setting. What a perfect way to end the day!

We started this urban walk by parking near the Civic Auditorium instead of our normal Legion Park, as the restrooms there are closed. We hiked north and over to Grand Ave park to enjoy the view of the marina and Navy base with the goal of walking down the new Grand Ave bridge, after years of watching it being built. It is beautifully constructed bridge and was well worth the wait. There are stairs, a ramp and an elevator. We wanted to get down to the marina, and frankly, find some open restrooms, which we did on the south end. There are also open restrooms on the north end. With Covid, finding an open restroom is a bit more of a challenge in an urban setting. We then had a pleasant walk along the waterfront, part of the now named Mill Town trail. There is lots of building going on down there in the effort to fix up the waterfront after years of industrial use. It was fun to walk along the waterfront, but much is fenced off due to the construction. Following the Mill Town, we walked up past Legion Park, enjoyed the view from the overlook, then walked thru the arboretum. The arboretum is a wonderful little treasure tucked in the city. There were some Christmas lights strung up on the plants and the south area now has a striking sculpture anchoring it. After the arboretum, we headed down Rucker towards Zippy's, a little coffee shop on the corner of Rucker and 15th. They have a covered outdoor eating area (open for airflow) and a restroom for customers. I highly recommend the chocolate mocha scone, worth every calorie. Continuing south we checked out the Schack Art Center for some fun artwork and Christmas gift ideas. Their display right now is some very beautiful fabric art in the form of quilts, taking quilting to a whole new artsy level. Once we were done here, we returned to the car, having walked about 5 miles. Don't overlook urban hiking during the dark and wet season, after all, you can get hot coffee, treats, and culture! 

Walked the Mill Town Trail on this gorgeous Saturday morning.  Our route started on the north at the Port Gardner North View area, down to the super cool new pedestrian bridge over Marine View Dr to Grand Avenue Park, down Grand Avenue, through the Bayside p-patch down to the 25th St pedestrian bridge then back up the main Mill Town trail and out onto all the big piers.  The total route ended up at a shy 6 miles.  Easy parking is available at both the north and south view areas, Boxcar Park and at the big boat launch area.  Restrooms at the boat launch were open and functional.  

Lots of folks out enjoying the sunshine or putting fishing boats into the water.  Not a whole lot of wildlife out, but there were some heron and cormorant north of the boat launch and various ducks and gulls out.  You can also clearly hear all the sea lions barking out on the big Navy pier.  The cool new pedestrian bridge is really nicely done - some nice views off the top and from Grand Avenue park once you cross.  Four big Arleigh Burkes and a Ticonderoga class frigate at the Navy pier, a couple of unit oil trains went by and a brand new Boeing 777 still in manufacturer’s green was doing loops around the bay with it’s gear down.. Not a typical walk in the woods but still beautiful and a bunch of interesting things to see. 

In case you didn’t know it, there is now a connector “trail” between these two great paths, the 16th St overpass!

The overpass links Grand Park with the Everett Waterfront, meeting the Milltown Trail close to Lombardi’s. You can head north to make a loop back to Grand Park or head south to Pigeon Creek and the beach.

This was our third time taking the overpass from Grand Park and used it to get some gain in (ran the stairs). We were not alone but most of the path is wide and easy to socially distance when folks are aware. The fall colors were out on the marina side and blue skies over Port Gardner and Jetty Island. There were walkers and runners, alike.

We went before dinner today but have gone after dark to find it well lit and mostly empty. And the bonus, lots of yummy places to eat at the marina!

Walked the Mill Town and Pigeon Creek trails south from the Port Gardner Bay south viewing area all the way down to Pigeon Creek beach and back on this Memorial weekend morning.  No trail issues with either.  The restrooms at the big boat launch are open and in good condition.  Both trails remain typical paved urban multiuse and provide significant space to socially distance even in the narrower sections on the southern end.  The new pedestrian bridge down from Grand Avenue is not yet completed/open.

The highlight of the morning is the big heron rookery perched on the old pilings north of the boat launch.  There must be 20 nests, each with multiple chicks - I’ve never seen so many in one place - amazing..  There is also a single occupied Osprey nest on another piling farther west with parents feeding chicks.  On the other end, there is an active Bald Eagle nest on the one biggest Doug Fir on the bluff next to Pigeon Creek beach.  Other sights include three big Arleigh Burke class destroyers on the navy pier, (the USS Sampson, USS Momsen and a third I couldn’t identify,) lots of rail freight traffic running right along the water or holding in the BNSF Bayside Yard and beautiful water views of Possession Sound and beyond.