Lord Hill is a wonderful place for a day hike for those who live on the Eastside! While not wilderness, it has remnants of old-growth felled cedars with springboard notches, and stands of second-growth Doug Firs that rise up through the fern and moss-soaked branches. There are actually quite a few ecosystems as one hikes from the Snohomish River floodplain up 500 ft or so in elevation to the top of the hills. There are small rivulets and waterfalls, and placid ponds throughout.
There are two trailheads: one at the base just north of the 522 bridge; and one at the top. Some of the prettiest paths are more closely accessible from the top trailhead, and require much less elevation gain than starting out at the base. One of my, and many other hikers' favorite areas is the loop around Temple Pond. There are several way s to extend this loop, such as taking the Red Barn loop trail or taking a side excursion to English Pond, but the views and places to rest and enjoy the landscape along the Temple Pond Loop trail itself is more than adequate.
Many of the trails are open to multiple types of recreation, including mountain bikes, trail running and equestrian. Expect to meet any and all of these folks on a sunny weekend afternoon, except on a few trails that are not open or pleasant for anything other than foot travel.
There is a backbone of major paths that follow old roads, and these trails are listed on the major signage within the trail system. As they are essentially roads, the grades are fairly gentle. Emanating from these road trails are a significant network of foot trails that do not follow old roads. The first time on this trail system can be confusing. I have found that the map at https://snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9711/Trail-Map-of-Park?bidId= is the most detailed map of the trail network. A word of warning, however: some of the minor trails indicated on this map don't seem to exist in reality, at least I couldn't find them!
Comments