Took the north trail to the lake, then the seminary trail back up. Trails are in good condition, seminary is very wide and easy. There at the th, where north meets grottoes and seminary, there is a little beach to rest.

This will be my last trip report for some time, due to a job relocation. I made the most of my "last" hike by doing a recon mission for a hiking guide entry. We got to Saint Edward State Park at about 10 am. There was plenty of space left in the parking lots. We went up the hill, past the seminary building, enjoying the flowers that have been planted on the grounds. We took the Seminary Trail (the most common route) down the hill to Lake Washington and followed the Beach Trail a small distance. While we were there, of course there was some time playing by the water! We returned uphill by the South Canyon Trail. We finished our morning at the playground near the seminary building. The trail is in good condition, though there are just a few small blowdowns. I saw one significant mud hole. Slugs are out in numbers (as usual). Wildflowers are blooming, including Siberian miner's lettuce, thimbleberry, red currant, Robert Geranium, and bleeding heart.

Quick walk around St. Edwards state park during our weather break. Quite a bit of fairly large blow down from the recent wind - but the park ranger folks had it all brushed back, (your Discovery Pass dollars at work!) The trails are fairly muddy especially the southern loop section - not sloppy, just slippery. The views along the water are better this time of year with no foliage on the under brush. Hardly anybody else out, even on a partially sunny afternoon in December.

Nice state park with areas near Lake Washington for some beach access. Relatively flat hike, so good for kids and beginners. Very close to the city.

We chose a close in hike due to time constraints. St Edwards has some trails to great destinations, although the trails themselves could use a little help. Some were rather steep and we had to climb over some small downed trees. Near the water, we found scat we couldn't identify which makes me wonder what animals live there. Overall this is a nice place to hike with the dog.