I parked near PCC on the corner of Avondale and NE 116th Street to check out the Redmond Powerline Trail going east from the entrance just south of PCC. I was pleasantly surprised to come upon the loop around Farrel-McWhirter park. All combined, the whole walk was 2.8 miles along a well-tended trail. It's a good mix of wooded trail and open trail under the powerline and along the river. Parts of the trail go near horse acres and roadways. Right now it's a bit muddy - I would consider wearing sturdy, water-resistant shoes. One photo shows the trail/loop as captured by my Gaia app. If you go soon, I challenge you to find the hidden jack-o-lantern!

We started the hike from the very end of Overlake Christian Church (Lots of parking!) around 4:30pm. The trail started off flat and then soon became steep and then leveled down again. Lots of ripe blackberries! We stopped by at Farrel McWhirter Park and did a loop trail there and another one at Juel Community Park before turning back. We made it back to our cars around 7:30pm and stopped by Black Raven Brewing for some beer (That place is literally 4 mins away). In total, the hike was about 10.2 miles with over 768 feet of elevation gain for us.

There were quiet many people not on their face masks, and that really pissed me off! 

Walked the Farrel-McWhirter and Powerline trails on this rainy Saturday morning.  Our route ran through the northern side of Farrel-McWhirter, out along Powerline to the top of the next ridge west, back the way we came then returning to the southern parking lot along the south side of Farrel-McWhirter for a total of about 4 relatively easy miles.  Parking at Farrel-McWhirter is plentiful and free.  Restrooms were open and in good condition but picnic facilities, the playground and all the horse operations remain closed.  Links to park info and most current covid19 status below.

https://www.redmond.gov/288/Farrel-McWhirter-Park

https://www.redmond.gov/1408/Play-Safe-stay-safe-reopening-plan

All the Farrel-McWhirter trails are open and in good condition.  The Powerline trail remains typical utility right-of-way and has no issues either.  

Farrel-McWhirter has a surprisingly nice chunk of 2nd growth forest, full of birds, huge cedar stumps from the first time the area was logged over a 100 years ago, the beautiful little Macky Creek, etc.  Don’t miss the ghost flower patches blooming in the southern part of the park - they look so creepy!  A nice little walk even in the rain.