Hike of the Weektag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90275972007-03-08T19:33:56ZBlogger
This is an Atom formatted XML site feed. It is intended to be viewed in a Newsreader or syndicated to another site. Please visit the Blogger Help for more info.
trueHike of the Week2007-03-09T11:12:00-08:002007-03-08T19:28:07Z2007-03-08T19:14:56Ztag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027597.post-117338129648271127Hike of the Week: North Creek Park<table width="300" border="0" align="right" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0"><tr><td valign="top"><a href="http://www.wowweather.com/hikeoftheweek/images/northcreek.jpg"><img src="http://www.wowweather.com/hikeoftheweek/images/northcreek-s.jpg" /></a><br /> </td></tr><br /><tr><td valign="top" class="photocaption"> <P> A boardwalk cuts across a saturated landscape at North Creek Park<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><br /></td></tr></table><br /><strong>North Creek Park</strong><br /><p><br />You won’t be bored on this walk!<em> <br /><br /></em><br /><br /><p><br /><p><br /><p><br />by Craig Romano<br />photo by Craig Romano<br />produced by Michael Fagin<br /><p><br /><p><br /><p><br />March 9, 2007<br /><p><br /><strong>Quick Facts</strong><br /><strong>Location</strong>: Mill Creek<br /><strong>Land Agency</strong>: Snohomish County Parks <br /><strong>Roundtrip</strong>: 2.0 miles<br /><strong>Elevation gain</strong>: 20 feet<br /><strong>Contact</strong>: Snohomish County Parks (360) 435-3441<br /><strong>Access</strong>: From I-5 Exit 183 follow 164th Street SE east to SR 527. Turn south and follow SR 527 to 183rd Street SE. Turn right (west) and proceed for a .25 mile to park entrance on right. Alternatively take Exit 26 on I-405 and follow SR 527 north to 183rd Street SE.<br /><strong>Notes</strong>: Dogs must be leashed. <br /> <br /> Surrounded by a sea of urban sprawl, North Creek Park is an island of natural beauty. But this sprawling wetland offers more than just a place for nearby city slickers to get a taste of nature. It protects ecologically important wildlife habitat and helps provide flood control by acting as a giant sponge. Nearly this entire park’s area consists of bog. Have no worries though exploring this saturated landscape, for an extensive boardwalk system allows you easy access into this semi-submerged preserve.<br /> Start by stopping at the information kiosk to get a better understanding of the terrain you are about to step foot on. Much of the 85-acre park was once part of the John Bailey Farm. Some of the farm’s structures still stand. The trail immediately leaves terra firma. Now follow a floating boardwalk snaking across the expansive wetland meadows. Interpretive signs along the way provide insight into this special environment. Scrappy willows and a few lone hawthorns punctuate the grasses and reeds. Birdlife is prolific. Red-winged blackbirds and winter wrens fill the air with their melodious calls. As spring advances, sparrows, warblers, and vireos add their songs. Hawks are copious and frequently sighted hovering over the grasses searching for prey.<br /> Herons are especially fond of the North Creek Meadows. A rookery exists in the park’s northwest corner. In .3 mile a spur trail heads left 500-feet cutting through cattails and spirea to a peat bog. The main trail continues north through the wetlands complex. In another .25 mile another spur trail takes off left; this one leading 500 feet to a lookout close to the main creek channel. Beavers and muskrat can frequently be observed here.<br /> The main trail travels another .2 mile north to once again reach dry ground. A couple of hundred feet farther it terminates. Now retrace your steps keeping your senses keen. This grassy swale of shallow water teems with life.<br /><br />For information on lodging and other attractions near North Creek, visit <br /><A HREF="http://www.snohomish.org.">Click here for link to Snohomish County</A>false