My hiking group did our annual winter trek to Lincoln Park today.  It was 54 degrees with partially sunny skies.  We started from the staircase above Lowman Beach Park at 9:45. One of our members lives in the area and combined Lincoln Park with Neighborhood walking to make a longer outing.  We walked south along Beach Drive SW to the waterfront trail onto Lincoln Pool and Braun Idun Troll.  Several in our group had not seen one of Thomas Dambo’s Trolls so we spent a bit of time here with photo ops.  The sound was full of floating logs, shore birds and ferries crossing with snowy Olympics highlighting the western skyline. We headed back up through Lincoln Park on trail 2  to trail 13 and trail 11 to the sidewalk along Faunterlroy.  We crossed at the traffic light on SW Cloverdale Street and wound our way up to the Thistle Street Staircase.  At the top walked north on California  Ave SW, then left on 44th Ave SW and went left down through Solstice Park back to Lincoln Park where we took Trail 2 back down to the shoreline. The last trail through the bank woods was super muddy and we walked single file to avoid the worst spots. Our trek ended up at 4.5 miles.  It was an another fantastic day out in nature followed buy an amazing soup lunch sponsored by one of our members in their home over looking the sound.

When we first arrived in Seattle in 1965, our first home was 2 blocks from Lincoln Park. We moved from that home to where we live now in Normandy Park in 1970 and this was our first time to return to Lincoln Park to enjoy the beauty of the park on this beautiful sunny day with the Olympic Mountains out in all their glory. We only had to wait for about 10 minutes to find a parking spot in the South parking lot. Bruun Idun was the first troll we have seen, but we hope to soon see the others in the area. A pair of eagles were seen in a tree which one of the local walkers in the area told us was their favorite tree. I will add a link below which tells about Thomas Dambo's artwork using recycled materials. The video is especially interesting!

Visited Lincoln Park to get some steps in before the weekend's Super Wildcard Weekend games. Temperatures were quite brisk but it didn't stop folks from flocking to the park for wildlife viewing and fitness.

Bruun Idun was popular today with plenty of walkers and families alike stopping for a photo opp. The Olympics looked crystal and I really appreciated the Sequoia sempervirens closer to the parking lot. I didn't visit any of the restrooms, so no idea how brute they were.

2-mile clockwise loop, starting at the main parking lot at the top, and heading down to the pool and beach area.

Road Conditions. Paved parking lot, restrooms at the (otherwise closed) swimming pool.

Trail Conditions. Trails are wide and well-maintained, but slightly muddy/slippery on the up/down sections.

Highlights. Another troll.

Crowds. The large parking lot was more than half full at 3pm. Plenty of people about, but no crowds.

Busy as to be expected on a nice Friday! Short and sweet. Saw bald eagles, a goat on a leash, and of course the troll. Bathrooms by the pool are open.