(Photo courtesy West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails)

West Seattle’s biggest green treasure is now alive online as well as in real life. The folks working to help you learn about, enjoy, and protect the West Duwamish Greenbelt sent this announcement today:

There’s a new way to engage with the West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails group (WDGT) and explore the trails in Seattle’s largest remaining contiguous forest.

The West Duwamish Greenbelt covers 500 acres spanning more than four miles north to south. A large network of trails lead from the Duwamish Longhouse and Highland Park Way to Puget Park, Pigeon Point Park, and Riverview Playfield, passing the South Seattle College campus. As part of WDGT’s ongoing commitment to promote use of the greenbelt, restore the forest, and develop sustainable trails, we’ve developed a new website at wdgtrails.org.

The new website makes it easier for visitors to learn about the trails, with links to an updated map and articles about the history and ecology of the space.

The goal of this website is to not just share information about the trails and connect the community with the West Duwamish Greenbelt but also to tell the story of the greenbelt from the perspective of the community and other trail users.

This living website will be actively updated with new content, including history articles and information about guided hikes, volunteer opportunities, and other events.

Open Call for Contributions

Do you have a story of the West Duwamish Greenbelt? A memory of playing in the forest as a kid or knowledge of the history of the land? Insights into the life and geology of the area?

We welcome your contributions to the History and Nature articles, either writing your own or reaching out to our team and giving us an interview for an article.

The new website also features community-contributed photos. Whether it’s scenes of the forest, bird shots, macro photography, or snapshots of hikes, you can submit your own photos to share with the community.

Send us your contributions via the Get Involved page or to wdgtrails@gmail.com.

Who is WDGT?

WDGT is a collection of neighbors who guide creation, maintenance and promotion of walking and hiking trails in the greenbelt. We have been working in partnership with the Duwamish Tribe and the Ridge to River coalition to draw people to the forested land. We meet monthly on the second Tuesday of the month. All are invited. See Get Involved for the time, place, and medium of the next meeting.

Hosting for the website was funded by the Neighborhood Matching Fund from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, and the website was developed by WDGT volunteer and Puget Ridge resident Jay Speidell. The same grant funded a current exhibit, “Seattle’s Forest,” at the Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s Log House Museum, 3003 61st Ave. SW.