Beaver Marsh Park is a 32-acre forested city-owned natural area park in Vancouver. Burnt Bridge Creek flows through the middle of the park.
The gated Royal Oaks Golf Course community sits just west and downstream of Beaver Marsh.
Trailheads are located at the dead end of Northeast 98th Avenue north of Burton Road and at the intersection of Northeast 39th Street and Northeast 102nd Avenue. There is parking for 2-3 cars at the Northeast 102nd Avenue trailhead but no designated parking at the Northeast 98th Avenue trailhead.
The Beaver Marsh trail is a .65-mile level loop that includes a 130-foot wooden footbridge across Burnt Bridge Creek.
It is about a 2-mile walk from my house to the Northeast 98th Avenue trailhead, so my dog and I just walked there rather than driving. We were looking for an urban hike while under the "stay home-stay healthy" order.
When I first entered the park, I saw the usual invasive species vegetation so common in all Vancouver's publicy-owned natural areas: English ivy, English holly, Himalayan blackberries, English laurel, stinky Bob/herb Robert, etc., so I was not expecting much.
As we walked deeper into the park and crossed the bridge over the creek, I was delighted to see hundreds of blooming Western Trilliums (Trillium ovatum) covering the ground on both sides of the trail. The forest canopy was Douglas-fir with a few rather large trees. The understory included osoberry, elderberry, and vine maple. In one area, I saw the ground totally covered with blooming Star Solomon's Seal.
The trail was well-maintained and the park was absolutely clean of litter (a garbage can and doggie waste bag dispenser are located at the 98th Avenue trailhead). I expect the adjacent neighborhood takes pride in and care of this little gem.
As we continued around the loop, I saw social trails going off on both sides but I didn't have time to explore them. A couple of trails looked like they might connect to the neighborhood north of the park.
There are two park benches along the trail for pausing to enjoy this wild-in-the-city spot.
As we reached the eastern edge of the loop, we were right next to I-205 and the roar of traffic as we crossed over Burnt Bridge Creek again on the culvert that carries it under the freeway. Then the trail took us back into the forest and the traffic sounds receded. Again, I saw hundreds of trilliums on both sides of the trail and a few Large-leaved Avens (Geum macrophyllum) coming into bloom.
I look forward to returning to see what other native plants I might discover in the park, and I have made a note to return early next April to see the trilliums at peak bloom.
Comments
freiseele on Beaver Marsh Loop
Thanks for the report. I hope you got back to visit this year!
Posted by:
freiseele on Apr 25, 2022 05:15 PM
Oceansounds107 on Beaver Marsh Loop
Thank you!
Posted by:
Oceansounds107 on Nov 03, 2022 01:32 PM