Grace Cole Nature Park — Sunday, Sep. 5, 2021

We hiked this small woodland park on Labor Day Weekend, and aside from one pair of folks exiting as we arrived, we were the only ones there. The park has two hiking experiences, one consists of steep paths through the forest, hiking uphill and downhill. The other is the "pond experience", which consists of a boardwalk to the pond. We enjoyed the short hillside hiking, which is criss-crossed with many paths. We could hear birds but overall it was a low critter-spotting day. No bugs either! After finding our way down the hillside, we walked over to the boardwalk and the pond. Because it has been a dry spring and summer, the pond size was not large, and the pond was green with duckweed. Reading the informational display boards, we learned how the pond provides the headwaters of Brookside Creek, which then feeds into McAleer Creek, which in turn feeds into Lake Washington. So after we left the park, we drove to Pfingst Animal Acres Park in Lake Forest Park, which is a small city park with a meadow-like feel, with picnic tables, a Master Gardeners display garden, and the opportunity to view McAleer creek, which looked clear and healthy and of a good creek size. It is lovely to see nature thriving in our urban areas.