This is a hidden gem of a park not too far from north Seattle and worth a visit. I was quite impressed with the variety of adventures awaiting: 3 old cars. A Little Free Library with books in good repair. Rocks painted green and labeled with plant names for identification. A "Telephone of the Wind" poem memorial. Roots painted orange for easier visibility in the fallen leaves.
But wait, there's more! Boxes in a fairy garden that offer kids arts and crafts projects. Benches to sit and enjoy. Sense of humor signage ("wet way, other way"). Steep ravine walks for anyone wanting to do a quad-burner intervals workout. 5 miles of meandering. And at the bottom of the ravine, solitude and silence. Delightful. And not a single puddle, very impressive these days with all the rain we've been having.
The only thing worth noting in terms of traction: the wooden bridges along the perimeter are wet and can be a little slick, just watch footing. And some of the steeper slopes that are covered in leaves may be a bit treacherous, a pole would be a good idea if you want to explore any of the ravine area. Definitely doable without any poles if you stay to the main signed trails.
We parked at the South Trailhead and did the elementary school perimeter to the east trailhead, then along the FEMA US Army Reserve area to the trailhead on the Northeast corner, back through the ravine to the west edge where we found the cars, and then out to Forsgren Park (west trailhead) where there were some beautiful red trees (hence fall foliage). We started at 9 a.m. on Halloween morning and I picked up a map at the East Trailhead (the others didn't have any) to help me figure out where I was.
All told, we spent about 1 3/4 hours meandering and exploring. When I went to use MapMyWalk it couldn't calculate elevation gain, probably because part of the park is private. That ravine is a steep challenge - we did it at least five times! A dry day between shower breaks, and only a few other dog walkers and one jogger enjoying the morning.
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