Lost in Lord Hill yet again! I'd heard that there was a new map out for the maze of trails in the park so I wanted to check out a few more trails. Well there is, but very little signage to match the trail names. And so... We decided to check out the trails on the west side of the park instead of our normal wander around aimlessly on some game/mtn bike trail on the east side. We started on the West side loop, ended up at the power station going nowhere, so headed back down, turned to maybe make a loop, and ended up at a dead end. Turned back, followed another path, dead end, turned and followed another path, dead end with a big red and white No Trespassing sign. The value of the map was, we could see which Wild Goose Chase trail we were deadended on and where to turn around. We did finally find the loop trail, and also a nice picnic table for lunch. We came out on the Main trail and headed down toward the river. IMHO skip the west side loop, really nothing interesting, no views and one pond, dried up today. We did see 2 deer tho. Once we headed down we hit some nice mossy woods and a couple of ponds. Since we didn't have time for the river, at the grassy area we turned and headed up toward the Pipeline trail. This is a steep trail going up,slippery in spots. Because we wasted so much time farting around on the west side of the park, we didn't have time to check out Temple and Beaver ponds on the way back. Once we turned onto the Main trail to head back, the sky opened up and just dumped on us, thunder ligtning and hail. By the time we got back to the car we were totally soaked to the skin even with raingear. My recommendation for this park, hike the Pipeline, check out the ponds, head down to the river, then wander back on the River trail to the Main trail. Even tho there are maps at some of the main intersections, they do not show all the trails. Take your downloaded map for comparison. As myself and others have mentioned before, this park could seriously use more signage.
Trip Report
Lord Hill Regional Park — Tuesday, Sep. 19, 2017
Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area
Comments
mato on Lord Hill Regional Park
That's a worthy loop, but you also share it with bikes and horses. The Pipeline is boring, and when the rain starts, the River Trail is nearly impassable.
Next time, find the Midway Footpath! I usually take it to it's south end, and then hit the Riverview Footpath to it's viewpoint above the river. It's a good "down-and-back" route that's all on dedicated footpaths. Along the way, you pass right by the main Viewpoint which is a good lunch spot.
Look at my report on 12/18/16 for directions to the Midway. (The "Trail Closed" sign is still up at the entrance to Swamp Gas, but ignore it as you will only be on it a short distance) There is a shared middle section with other trails, but follow the arrows and look for the cairns against a tree for the Midway continuation.
( I didn't realize I had so many reports for Lord Hill! )
Posted by:
mato on Sep 20, 2017 07:40 AM
Muledeer on Lord Hill Regional Park
Hey Mato, thanks for the suggestion, never been on the Midway. We've done the Riverview and hit the viewpoint. None of the trails had names the last time I hiked it, so we never knew exactly where we were, the new map is helpful. I think some of these trails are new. I actually like the Pipeline in the fall with all the bigleaf maple color and brown grass.
Posted by:
Muledeer on Sep 20, 2017 07:57 AM
Hiking for Sanity on Lord Hill Regional Park
I live nearby and frequent this trail. The Meat cutter trail is my favorite at this park but it is not even listed on the trail map! You just have to stumble across it from the east side of the main trail. It reminds me of the Hoh rainforest with its moss draped trees and abundance of ferns. Lack of signage is definitely an issue. Ive had to use google maps to find my way out a few times.
Posted by:
Hiking for Sanity on Oct 16, 2017 06:15 PM