グラップリングフック女子のクランベリーちゃんです！今日は「COAL CREEK PARKWAY」をハイキングしましょう！

あたしは「COAL CREEK TRAIL」から出発し、目的地は「RED TOWN」です。雪が降って、ハイキングに最適な美しい冬の風景が広がっています。滑りにくいハイキングシューズを履いてください。雪や氷で滑りやすい階段には注意してください。

トレイルの一部は狭く、急な下り坂になっています。この部分を横断するときは足元に注意してください。不注意だと滑って転ぶ可能性があります。

トレイルは良好な状態です。倒木がトレイルを塞いでいません。他にも多くのトレイルがあるので、標識を確認して正しい方向に進むようにしてください。あたしは数人の人に出会いましたが、ハイキングはとても穏やかでした。ハイカーの中には犬を散歩させている人もいましたが、どの犬もリードをつけていません。私が出会った犬はどれも攻撃的ではありませんでした。

誰かが車輪と金属くずを小川に投げ入れました。あたしはグラップリングフックを使ってこれらを小川から引き上げました。あたしはそれらを「RED TOWN TRAILHEAD」まで運び、そこに残しました。公園管理人がきちんと処分してくれるのでしょうか？あたしは「COAL CREEK PARKWAY」の車まで、こんなに重い物を運べるほど力のある女性ではありません。

とても楽しいハイキングで、景色もきれいでした！かつて石炭列車が走っていた場所を歩くのは楽しかったです！ワシントン州の歴史を楽しみましょう！

Short English Version:

COAL CREEK  to RED TOWN is traveled.  Snowy trail, please be careful not to fall.  Wheel and metal was in creek. I used my grappling hook to remove it. I left it at RED TOWN TRAILHEAD in hopes park ranger can dispose of it. Not strong enough to carry back to truck at Coal Creek.

I took my frequent route down the Washout Way trail from Highland Drive to Coal Creek, then up the Coal Creek trail to the Red Town Trailhead, then circle back to Highland Drive on a combination of Bellevue city trails and streets. 

The cold, clear night produced hair ice in some of the trees along the creek (see photo 2). This is the first time I've ever seen it, or at least known what I was looking at. The weather is forecast to be similar for the next few days, so there might be more opportunities to see it.

The trail is in good shape as usual. There was one blowdown, but easily stepped over. The temperature overnight was low enough so that at 10 AM the usual slushy spots were nicely hardened, but without slick ice. Things softened up a bit by the time I got to Red Town.

This trail can be accessed by KC Metro bus #240 (Bellevue TC - Renton TC). The best two transit accessible access points are at 119th Ave SE and Coal Creek Parkway (the trailhead is down a set of stairs) and at the Coal Creek YMCA. This is 0.6 miles from the bus stop at 132nd Ave SE and Newcastle Way.

If you are relying on transit, experientially, I would take a route that starts at 119th and exits at the Y, or, start and finish at the YMCA.

The trail can be divided into three sections, north to south: 119th to Red Cedar Trailhead (1.3 mi), the Coal Creek Trail (0.8 mi) / Primrose Trail (0.7 mile) and from the YMCA access to Red Town Trailhead (1.5 mi).

The northern sections parallel Coal Creek Parkway. The noise of the highway tend to dominate the section. The trail is in good shape, the topography is varied and the forest is fine, but you can only hear the creek for about a quarter mile. The section is more aesthetic southbound. Northbound it seems anticlimactic.

The middle section is the most like a wilderness trail. It has the nicest forest, a lot of creek views and creek noise and the best natural experiences. Because a lot of it is most natural trail, in the rainy, with pretty heavy use, it has the most mud and a few slippery place. Overall the trail is highly engineered with sturdy bridges, solid staircases and other trail stabilizing structures.

Most of the southern sections is on an old railroad grade the dates back to the time of the coal mines, so this is the flattest section. Because this is where the coal was, this is where the people were. Most of the human built infrastructure has disappeared, but the land is still trying to heal from this era. There are a series of interpretive signs that make this section more interesting that it otherwise would be. Except for a couple of short section (where the railroad grade washed away?) the trail is wide with a gravel surface.

If you make a round trip from end-to-end, and explore a few side trails, you will cover about nine miles.

This is my first hike on these trails since the bomb cyclone. All the blowdowns have been cleared from the trail, but the piles of cut logs make it clear what a big job that was. I'm grateful.

Not surprisingly given all the recent rain, there are major muddy sections that require careful stepping, but nothing especially difficult.

I met a total of about 10 hikers in 5 groups, 4 including dogs that were all well-behaved. I was disappointed to count 4 abandoned poop bags and some tissues as well. I suspect people reading these reports are not the type to litter, but if you are: c'mon, people!

Very good hike, the history behind it is worth exploring and explained well, the ambiance is excellent and it has a great balance of being managed enough to feel safe but still feeling safe. Aside from some litter and 1 mildly obstructive tree, no complaints, and the views and vibes are well worth the hike