A forest walk was just what we wanted out of this rainy day.

THE ROAD / PARKING

We started at the Coal Creek Parkway trailhead (the one the WTA coordinates take you to).

The parking lot is right off of Coal Creek Parkway, and the lot itself is in great shape. It's pretty small though — only about a dozen spaces. It was nearly full at 9:30 this morning. 

When we got back shortly after noon, the lot had mostly cleared out. 

THE TRAIL

The trail is in great shape! We hiked toward Red Town, and made it as far as North Fork Falls, which were very cool. There's one section where a puncheon has a couple of slats out of place, but it's easy to walk over.

MISC. 

Wildflowers are out! There were plenty to enjoy on our hike today. 

There are so many great picnic spots on this hike. Several of them are creek access points, which I bet would be great on a sunny day. And there are quite a few benches along the trail to sit a while. 

Easy 5 m. Walk. The path is wide and firm for most areas. A little muddy in a few spots. I took the primrose trail on the way out and stayed on the coal trail back. The primrose trail is much more beautiful and inviting, also a bit more muddy, and narrow, which might be worth noting if you have any walking disabilities. The upper coal section is less beautiful, steeper and sunnier. 

Lots of dogs on the trail. Fairly busy on a weekday. 

Fine hike on this Saturday, with a 1pm-ish start in sun and warmth, ending with gray skies, wind gusts, and a few sprinkles. I parked at the small lot at 60th, where I was the 2nd car. There are about 5 spots there. The Coal Creek Nature Area parking lot was full when I walked through it. By the time I got to the Red Town lot (3:00-ish), there were plenty of parking spaces in that lot.

The trail is well-signed and in good condition. Only a few muddy spots on the Primrose loop. Lots of bleeding heart in bloom, and new fresh fronds coming out on sword fern, lady fern, and maidenhair fern. The licorice fern is starting to dry up and go into its dormant period.

Plenty of people walking dogs (all leashed, that I saw!) or getting their steps in.

Cinder Mine Trailhead -> Coal Creek Trail -> China Creek Trail -> Rainbow Town Trail -> Wildside Trail -> Marshall's Hill Trail -> De Leo Wall Viewpoint -> Indian Trail -> Quarry Trail -> Coal Creek Falls Trail -> Cave Hole Trail -> Red Town Trailhead -> Coal Creek Trail to Cinder Mine Trailhead

Parked at Cinder Mine Trailhead at 2:30. There were a lot of cars parked on the road, but I got a spot in the lot after someone left.

Followed the Coal Creek Trail to the Red Town Trail. From there, made my way to the De Leo Wall Viewpoint. You can get a better view of Rainier by going farther along the trail to the northwest of the viewpoint (or approaching from that direction). I'd been to De Leo Wall on the Wildside Trail before and didn't think the view of Rainier was that great, but taking the Marshall's Hill Trail instead changed my mind. The trail was dry and in good condition.

I looped back toward the parking lot and stopped at Coal Creek Falls. It was pretty steep after a mostly flat hike, but worth the stop.

I clocked 7.15 miles in just over 2.5 hours.

#LoveLocalTrails

Got to the Red Cedar (westernmost) trailhead around 2:30. Only a few other cars in the lot.
The trail was in decent condition, though there were several muddy spots in the lower parts of the trail. Once you hike up near the YMCA, the mud isn't as bad. I also noticed what seemed to be a washout on the Primrose Loop Trail. There's a cone and caution tape blocking part of the trail; you can go around the cone but a few yards later most of the trail washed into the river. Didn't go farther on the Primrose Loop.
Up by Red Town, you can see the road construction being done on Newcastle Golf Club Road/Lakemont Boulevard.
Roundtrip we covered 5.75 miles in about 2.5 hours. The dog was super muddy but my shoes were mainly fine.
#LoveLocalTrails