Thursday.

Just a quick note with a couple FYIs - one recent, one new.

First, the south parking lot is now open! (It has been for awhile now, but I haven't seen any mention of it.) This is a good thing to keep in mind if the north lot is full; which it usually is on weekends. It is right next to the 522 bridge over the Snohomish R., though you have to backtrack to get to it. Lots of parking, plus you get to explore the south end. (13823 Old Tester Rd.)

Next, (drum roll) the Midway Footpath is now complete!  "Someone" has roughed in the missing link, so you can now walk the lenth of the park on one continuous footpath. Just remember that it now goes directly across all other trails and roads, making it easy to follow. Have fun out there!

Hoping to get a little elevation and maybe a view on a clear sunny day, we hiked up Devil's Butte via the Westside View Trail. The parking lot was already getting busy at 10am, which was a little surprising for a Tuesday. The initial stretch of trail was also busy, but I guess most people turned left at The first junction because we saw almost no one after turning right and only one other person after we turned off on the Westside View trail. If you want solitude, this is the trail for you. If you want views... not so much. You get the occasional, small peek-a-boo through the trees but the views here are pretty much overgrown.

The wide trail is in great shape. No drop offs or any hazards for the kiddos so my three year old was able to run along and play in all the mud puddles with wild abandon. We tracked 3.4 miles and a little over 300ft of elevation gain to go to the "scenic view" picnic area and back. It was not as much elevation as we expected but considering we had two threenagers who were dragging by the end, I suppose it was enough. We opted not to try for the full Devil's Butte Loop due to the tired toddlers. If you are ok with the pushing up hill, an all terrain stroller could make it up this trail but would not be able to continue around the full Devil's Butte Loop.

Made it to Lord Hill at 4:30 feeling lucky to take advantage of the longer days. The trail is in great shape. It almost felt like someone took a broom and swept it clean. 

The peep peep peep of little birds and ribbett of one frog across the pond makes me love this part of winter. 

Cheers!