Wonderful park to enjoy the flowers and beautifully landscaped trails. Arrived in the evening and there was plenty of parking and quite a lot of walkers but social distancing was possible. Benches are spotted around to sit and enjoy the flowers. 

I am forever impressed with the parks of Bellevue. My exploration today took me over the 520 trail to Wilburton Park and the Botanical Garden. These two areas are very much different, but both are fabulous for quiet rambling.

Wilburton itself is well tended trails through a second growth forest. The trails are easy, wide and dry. The Botanical Gardens' visitors center is obviously closed but its' gardens are open. I saw but only two or three other people, distancing was easy to maintain.

The gardens have many inspirational areas of display. A waterwise garden, a native plants area, an impressive ravine with suspension bridge, and a fern collection that I really loved. The Zen or feng shui that has been used to developed the rockery and water features is inspirational. I want to run home and start collecting more rocks!

In the absence of any sign post maps such as at DNR trailheads, "you-are-here's" at the zoos, etc, planned one-mile Earth Day 50 walk around the spacious trails of the Bellevue Botanical Gardens turned into a doubly appreciated, physically-distanced, two mile Earth Day 50 plog. 

Thanks to local parks from Seattle to Issaquah, and more, for keeping their trails open, . . . vs. the complete closures of thousands of miles of nearby federal, state and country trails no matter what.

Since I was somehow unable to find the trailhead for the hike that I wanted to do, in Newcastle (it's only been a decade since I was last at that trailhead), I visited Bellevue Botanical Garden instead, since it was on the way home.  What a nice sunny day for my crutch and me, for 3.8 miles total, with some easy elevation gain, with lots of photo ops.  So many trillium--and lots of other flowers!

A link to my flower photos below, in the full report section.

Looking for a shorter drive to a hike, I remembered my happy walks around the Bellevue Botanical Garden, often after my many right leg surgeries, since the paths are wide enough for someone on crutches--and very scenic.  Yesterday I was only on one crutch, which I rarely used (just on short steeper uphills).  My day started out poorly since it was raining steadily but lightly for quite awhile.  Worse, when I tried to take my very first photo at this very scenic place, my camera said NO CARD PRESENT.  So I was stuck with taking photos with my phone.  According to GAIA, I managed two miles of hiking at the garden, following trails that descended to City of Bellevue paths.  By that time, the rain had stopped and the lovely sun had emerged.  And I was able to get my first trillium photo of the year!