First Saturday hikes in West Duwamish Greenbelt

When:
August 3, 2019 @ 10:00 am
2019-08-03T10:00:00-07:00
2019-08-03T10:15:00-07:00
Where:
(see listing)

Hiking season is beginning in the West Duwamish Greenbelt. Hike with the West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails group (www.wdgtrails.com) on guided walks to find birds, bugs, mushrooms, native plants, geology, and history. Meet the first Saturday of each month at 10 am, usually at the trailhead at 14th Ave. SW and SW Holly Street, but starting places may vary; watch postings for individual hikes. We hike mostly on constructed and maintained gravel trails, suitable for family outings.

The West Duwamish Greenbelt is the largest contiguous forest in Seattle, spreading over 550 acres in West Seattle from the tip of Pigeon Point to Westcrest Park. Urban forests are important community spaces that increase our city’s natural beauty, contribute to our health, and make the natural world accessible for everyone to enjoy.

Here’s the schedule for the 2019 season. All hikes start at 10:00 am.

April 6: Bird watching hike with Scott Markowitz, an international birder, member of the board of directors at Tahoma Audubon. Meet at the Puget Park trailhead at 4418 21st Ave. S.W.

May 4: Insect hike with a bug club member.

June 1: “Walking Native Land” on National Trails Day with Ken Workman, a descendant of Chief Seattle and a member of the Duwamish Tribe. Ken will talk about his personal experience growing up in the greenbelt and his tribe’s use of the land and nearby Duwamish River.

The hike begins at 10 a.m. near the Chinese Garden at South Seattle College. We’ll walk down Puget Ridge to the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center and return. This hike is on unimproved trail with aspirations to be a connector between ridge and river, about two miles round-trip with 200 feet of elevation gain coming back. Wear good shoes or boots and be prepared for small obstacles like logs, brush, and walking near the edge of West Marginal Way.

July 6: Native plant identification with Steve Richmond of GardenCycles

August 3: Geology and land use history with Paul West and Craig Rankin

September 7: History of the greenbelt with Matt Groshong, Randy Nelson, and Craig Rankin

October 5: Mushrooms with Kim Traverse of the Puget Sound Myco Society

1 Reply to "First Saturday hikes in West Duwamish Greenbelt"

  • Holly M April 7, 2019 (4:49 pm)

    I love reading about First Saturday Hikes. I’m sorry I missed yesterday’s bird watching hike, but I hope to attend as many as I can now that I know about them. Interesting topics and great way to learn about the area, thanks to whoever is organizing these!

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published.