Bob Heirman Wildlife Preserve — Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019

The cabin fever was burning hot but I didn't want to deal with much snow and rain was threatening.  I made my way a short distance to this trail from home in Lake Stevens.  It was easy to find and has a nice parking area with a few picnic tables at the trailhead.  There was just one car there when I arrived and I saw the couple that drove it about halfway into my hike.  I had a mix of clouds, sun breaks and sprinkles in the hour place I was there but the air was mild and it was nice to be out.

The trail starts on a wide gravel path going down a moderate hill with a couple of side trails leading to Shadow Lake on the left and a view of another pond on the right.  There were plenty of puddles here along with some remaining snow but nothing to slow you down.  Once near the river the trail gets much narrower and muddy.  This trail needs some work, come late spring it will probably be overgrown and crowded with sticker bushes.  There were also a couple of log jams that had to be crossed to continue the hike, be aware if you have balance issues or are hiking with small children.  These logs could prove to be quite a hazard on rainy or icy days so use caution.

After wandering into some trees the trail eventually ends on a wide, rocky bank along the river.  This looks like it could be a fun spot in the summer.  I stayed here a bit and watched the river before some sprinkles reminded me I should head back in case a full rain hit.  Not a bad little hike for winter time, I will probably return here again in the future.