It was a bit damp, but not a lot of water or mud on the trail. Beautiful fall colors and lots of mushrooms...

Walked most of the trails around St. Edwards State Park on Sunday. If you do the whole, big exterior loop this is plenty to get the blood moving. As with all State Parks you need a Discovery Pass to park. The entrance to the park is shared with the Bastyr University and is well marked along Juanita Drive about half way between Juanita and Kenmore. The beach on Lake Washington is not real big but has plenty of room for letting the kids or dogs splash around a bit. There are a few small pocket beaches north of the main beach as well. The park has play equipment for the kids and lots of nice picnic areas as well along the large lawn on the west side of the large Catholic Seminary building. A nice, quick to get to option with lots to see when you need a walk in the woods or a family picnic.

Easy trails for quick day hikes. Great access to swimming spots on Lake Washington. Watch out for spider webs along trails in the early morning.

Hiked the Seminary Trail and the South Canyon trails. Trails were mostly well marked, and the weather was cold and overcast, but not raining! The trails had a few other day hikers on them, and were quite muddy/slick from the last several weeks worth of rain. Lots of organic matter and clay-like muck made the hike on South Canyon slippery in spots. Otherwise, trails were in good shape!

I paid a quick visit to St. Edward State Park to take advantage of the sunshine, which I was denied the previous day at Mason Lake. There was a Renaissance fair going on that day, which provided a musical backdrop near the seminary. The trails are in good condition and were busy with dogs and people of all ages. Mariners fans, take note that you can at least enjoy a slugfest on the trails of this park. I saw more Arion rufus and Arion ater (one every 5-15 feet, even a mating pair) on this trail than on any other trail I have visited. I took the Seminary Trail (0.62 miles) to the Lake Washington Shoreline, and then took the Grotto Trail (0.4 miles) back to the seminary campus. The Grotto Trail, if hiked with repetition, provides an excellent conditioning workout, with a grade comparable to Mount Si. Total elevation gain: 340 feet.