Looking for a good workout? Weowna is your spot. This was a beautiful ~2hour urban hike. I did the 3.5 mile loop but had to look at my phone wta trail map to know where I was as there are lots of opportunities to stray off towards the surrounding roads and houses.  I caught myself a few times not staying in the loop.  Weowna Park reminds me of Schmidt Park in West Seattle but on a larger scale. Old growth, blooming wildflowers, small water falls. It had the perfect amount of people and dogs on the trail for me which allowed to feel safe and away from urban life. My dog, Butter is not a huge fan of children and can get distracted with other dogs so we were pleasantly surprised with the trail's clientele. It's definitely a moderate hike due to all of the variations in elevation, but a easy with the well maintained trails and stairs. I got a good glute, hamstring and quad workout and felt good at the end of it. My dog was pooped too (always a win!). Overall a great day. Be prepared to go up and down a lot. The trails were beautifully manicured and several trail runners lapped me. 

Afterwards I searched for Food Trucks and found one in the parking lot of a Kaiser Permante building in Bellevue (Factoria).

Taqueria Los Tetillas

It was the best post hike meal i've had. Fresh food and super tasty. 

A nice hidden gem near Bellevue, right next to busy W. Lake Sammamish Parkway SE. Don't be put off by the initial steep ascent. After that it's a gentle slope down again to the creek and waterfall, which is ironic since the waterfall is actually right next to the road but there is no trailhead there. So this trail truly is "uphill both ways"...

The tiny trailhead was almost full when I got there around 4:30 pm and I was lucky to get the last spot. I was the last one to leave though. I hiked the whole length of the trail, including the loop at the end. It took just over two hours, even though I stopped often to look at things and take pictures. The trail was in good shape, with occasional muddy spots that were easy to cross. Not many people, and the dogs I saw were on leash.

I've been to Weowna Park before but never explored the whole park, so I did that today on a nice #lovelocaltrails lollipop loop today!

I started from the north end of the park, then hiked all the way along the trail to the Phantom Creek waterfall, then did the loop south of that clockwise before heading back up to the trailhead. I also took the few side trails just to be "completionist" (there weren't very many of them). It ended up being about 4.4 miles (and a lot more elevation gain than I expected!). 

I got a late start and got to the trailhead a little after 11. There were 2 cars parked parallel to the road there, so there was space for one more car there after I parked. When I got back an hour and a half later, there was only one other car there. No facilities at the trailhead, but there are dog bags and a trash can. 

The trails were in good shape, with a few muddy spots that were easy to avoid for the most part since the trails are so wide. I only saw a few people on trail today — it was really quiet, which I sort of expected. I somehow escaped the rain, which was surprising.

I loved how quiet the forest also was in general, people-aside — you get away from the road pretty quickly, and the din of the cars disappears. You get some cool peek-a-boo views of Lake Sammamish through the trees too. Just a really lovely hike today. 

This place is pure magic—a paradise for bird lovers! The air was filled with birdsong, and I was lucky enough to spot three black-tailed deer along the way.

Birds:
• Golden-crowned Kinglet
• Dark-eyed Junco
• American Robin
• Pine Siskin
• Chestnut-backed Chickadee
• Red-breasted Nuthatch
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Bushtit
• Song Sparrow
• Pacific Wren
• Hutton’s Vireo

Trail stats: 3 miles | 626 ft elevation gain

This is such a local gem of a place! The ravine, the falling water, the trees and all of the balconies that overlook the ravine at different levels.

I've never done the entire loop but just keep revisiting the section I believe is the most beautiful. (Hope I'm wrong and have more to discover.)

We got the one parking spot right at the start of the park and only saw one girl walking her dog the entire time.

About 1.2 miles in total.