Today, we started from the McCollum Park and Ride and walked down into the Town Center and back.

The McCollum P&R has a bunch of construction right now. I'm not sure what the end goal is here but they have paved the field next to the trailhead and have torn out the area around the bus stop. There is a short detour to get to the trail but it is still currently accessible.

The trail itself is in good condition. As usual, there was lots of dog poop along the sides of the trail despite dog poop bag stations being available every few feet. I don't know why but I see more of it on this trail than any other. Please do better. The three pianos are still out at the Town Center much to kiddos delight.

Our family is hiking the month of August to raise funds for WTA's Hike-A-Thon so that the trails can continue to be enjoyed by future generations. Please consider contributing, every $ helps! https://give.wta.org/Jenchilada2022
https://give.wta.org/CaptainJames

#hikeathon #teamtacosformiles

The Pianos on Main St are up until Sept 5th along the section that runs through the Mill Creek town center. On Wednesdays through the end of September, they have an outdoor concert in the town center as well. We went early and walked the trail before taking a piano break and then boogied down to a Beatles cover band. The trail itself is in good shape with multiple points to access North Creek and multiple duck ponds. Lots of ducks and bunnies out today. The blackberries along the trail are not ripe yet, give them another week.

Our family is hiking the month of August to raise funds for WTA's Hike-A-Thon so that the trails can continue to be enjoyed by future generations. Please consider contributing, every $ helps! https://give.wta.org/Jenchilada2022

#hikeathon #teamtacosformiles

Urban trail from McCullum Park to Mill Creek, mostly shaded, which is why I took this with my hub. We caught it between the early morning joggers and the late morning walkers and had a pretty peaceful walk. Between 9 and 11 seemed to be the sweet spot. The boardwalk that continues this trail south past 164th is in full sun, so nope. There is work going on at the McCullum end, the sidewalk is closed off but you can walk on the street. 5 miles to 164th and back. No loo at the TH, but Country Market is a good stopping point (and they had Cougar Gold cheese and lactose free yogurt) 

We started our hike at McCollum Park.  There's plenty of parking in the park and ride lot on a Saturday morning.   The North Creek TH is at the north end of the parking lot, near the bus terminal.

The nature trail is a very pleasant walk through the woods.  Further down, it skirts the Mill Creek town center.  You'll pass small creeks as you meander on this paved trail.  There are picnic tables and benches throughout, which offer nice spots for lunch or a rest.

This is a popular trail and we encountered many other walkers this morning.  It's a great location for an early morning walk to beat the heat during this hot spell.

We'll be back!

We parked at the McCollum Park transit center, arriving at 9:30 and had no trouble finding spots.  North Creek Trail starts across the street from the transit center.   The paved trail meanders through woods, by streams and through Mill Creek town center.  We stopped at the retaining pond near 164th.   

The trail is in great shape with no obstacles.  We encountered few other walkers or runners throughout.   There are many picnic tables as you approach the retaining pond.  We selected an isolated one for a very pleasant lunch.

We headed back to McCollum Park using the same path.   We logged 5.7 miles.   It was a very pleasant location for a close-in walk.