WTA and partners celebrate opening of Glendale Forest

In late April, WTA, King County Parks, Earth Corps and members of the community celebrated the opening of Glendale Forest, in the North Highline area, at a community open house. King County acquired this 5-acre parcel of land in 2020 to create trail accessibility for the neighborhood that historically had very little access to green spaces. WTA hosted more than 80 work parties at the space to help create a trail system and to make it more welcoming and accessible. The goal of this project for King County was to increase access to green spaces within a 10 minute walk for King County residents and this project accomplished just that. 

King County Parks, WTA and Earth Corps welcomed Glendale Forest visitors to a celebration of the greenspace.

• Access note
• There is no vehicle parking available at this trail. We encourage you to use public transit if you plan to visit and don't live within walking distance. 

Glendale Forest is tucked away among houses, apartments and a nearby elementary school. It offers a place for local residents, including families with small children, a space to benefit from time spent in urban forests. This land was once covered in dense, noxious weeds including invasive blackberry, ivy, holly, knotweed and yellow archangel and lacked any kind of established trail system. But now, thanks to the hard work of King County, nonprofit community partners and WTA volunteers and staff, the area has been transformed into a lush, welcoming greenspace. 

“Glendale Forest is more than a park — it’s a place where access to nature, education, stewardship and social connections all come together. Hearing neighbors’ stories and seeing our shared efforts reinforced how essential greenspaces are for communities,” said Joanna Nelson de Flores, urban forestry program manager for King County Water and Land Resources Division who oversaw the coordination of the open house.

 
Community partners enjoy a quick walk around the trail before the event begins. Sunlight dapples through the trees on the newly established trail within Glendale Forest.

The open house centered around family friendly activities including coloring pages, plant identification, bird house kits, prize giveaways and stickers galore. Families with small children, dog walkers, trail crew members, regular users of the trail and folks visiting for the first time gathered on a beautiful spring day to enjoy this newly established community trail. While visitors enjoyed the cool shade of the trees and the soothing sound of a bubbling creek, members of WTA’s youth volunteer work parties at Glendale were thanked and praised for their hard work on the trails at Glendale.

Micki Kedzierski, one of WTA’s volunteer crew leaders, led and participated in 26 work parties at Glendale, was there that day as a WTA ambassador.  

“It's different working in urban parks than it is working in the mountains. I mean, I love the mountains. But when you work in an urban park, you really are doing something for the community, and what you're really saying to people is, “I don't know you, but I care about you’,” Micki said

Micki Kedzierski smiles with her “trail family” as they reflect on the amazing work they put into this now complete community trail. 

• Read about the history of this project over the years
• ◦ Making nature accessible in urban areas
  ◦ Glendale Forest: Engage with a new trail in North Highline
• ◦ A year of achievements in Glendale Park
• ◦ Connecting classrooms to nearby green spaces 
• ◦ Young trail crews lead the way at urban Glendale Forest
• ◦ King County's plan for heat underscores importance of urban trails for climate-resilient cities

This project's completion is a major victory for WTA’s Trail Next Door campaign. Many of the more than 80 WTA work parties included youth and even had participation from the surrounding neighborhood, including the local elementary school, Rainier Prep. Community partners like Earth Corps also helped to incorporate thoughtful new plantings to the side of the trail which added wonders to the overall trail experience.

“It was really a moving experience because people came by who lived in the area — some of them had never been here before. There were also people who came by and said, ‘I remember when it looked like this’ and everyone was so appreciative… Having some of the youth and family who I worked with come here, and they wore their hard hats and people would say to them, thank you so much for your work. It's just I feel like we really did something for the community and we were welcomed as part of the community,” Micki said.

WTA is thrilled to have worked with such amazing community partners to complete this project and projects like it in the future. This beautiful weekend allowed many to reflect on the last 5 years of hard work.

 
Allie and Micki represented WTA this weekend at Glendale.

"Glendale Forest is a great example of why WTA created our Trail Next Door campaign 5 years ago. Everyone deserves easy access to the benefits of time in nature, but it takes a breadth of effort from the community, including organizations and individuals, to come together. Green spaces are not equally distributed throughout our urban centers, leaving some neighborhoods without access entirely. We are proud to have worked alongside partners like King County and Earth Corps and dedicated volunteers — especially youth and families — to make this park a place neighbors and families will enjoy for years to come,” said Allie Tripp, WTA’s strategic initiatives senior manager.