Spent a lovely Earth Day at Roslyn Urban Forest with a friend today!
We hiked up the Ewok Trail, up to Main Ridge via the Crooked Tree Trail, then took the Crooked Tree Trail back to town.
DRIVING/PARKING
We drove from Seattle, and didn't have any issues getting across the pass over to the trailhead. Per the signs at the Ewok Trail trailhead, we parked at Roslyn Pioneer Park, which has paid parking for $5 a day (paid via app/online — see signs at the park parking area). There were plenty of spaces — I imagine it would take a lot to fill it up. When we got there, there were only 3 other cars parked at the park. It was about a half-mile walk to the trailhead.
We took the Crooked Tree Trail back down, and it was a similar short walk back to the car. When we got back, there were maybe 10 cars parked in the park, but tons of space for more cars.
TRAIL CONDITIONS
The snow line was at just over 3,000 feet, so we started seeing patches of snow somewhere in the middle of our hike. We didn't really have to deal with it on our trek until near the end.
The Ewok Trail was pretty straightforward and in great shape — no blowdowns! Some places were a little muddy, but it was a well-maintained trail with relatively mild-to-moderate grade throughout.
We hopped on the Crooked Tree Trail to get to the top of the ridge for lunch. It was a short but steep way to the ridge, and the top was covered in large patches of snow. It was chilly, and unfortunately very cloudy, but it was still a great place for lunch!
The Crooked Tree Trail had a few blowdowns, but nothing particularly difficult to navigate. This trail was steeper than the Ewok Trail, and muddy in some places. There were also way more views from this trail!
We came across some wildflowers starting to pop up, including yellow avalanche lily and western springbeauty.
Overall, it was a pretty quiet hike — we saw a few groups of mountain bikers and one larger hiking party. Other than that, it was a pretty solitary day.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I almost brought microspikes but they wouldn't have been very useful because the snow was patchy, and more posthole-y than slippery. I do wish I had packed my poles for the steeper parts of the trail where it got muddy and to navigate on the larger snow fields.
It was a lovely day to spend outside! Happy Earth Day, everyone 😊
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