June 18, 2017
There's a nice system of trails in the Paradise Valley Conservation Area located in Woodinville, only 30 minutes from home. The trailhead is right off Paradise Valley Road and offered ample parking on Sunday at 11 am. When we arrived there were a few muddy bikers just getting back to their car, while others were gearing up. We'd hope the rain showers would let up by late morning, but it was still drizzling by the time we hit the trail.
For some reason we were expecting no rain and paved pathways. So, we dressed that way: in street clothes with comfortable walking shoes/sneakers (also dressed for beers afterwards). No worries, though. For the most part we were protected from the rain thanks to the trees. The trails were well maintained so we only had to hop over a few mud puddles. The trail system is well marked with sign posts at every split. We did a quick in and out on the Mainline Trail and took a detour through the Whispering Firs trail on the way out.
Toby is still working on trail manners and we'll need to be prepared to calm him down on these mixed-use trails; he doesn't like bikes! All the bikers we encountered were courteous and took it slower than I expected, which I appreciated.
Since it's so close to home, this will be a good one to revisit when we have more time and when it's sunny. I'd like to go for a run with Toby and explore split-offs from the Mainline Trail.
There's a nice system of trails in the Paradise Valley Conservation Area located in Woodinville, only 30 minutes from home. The trailhead is right off Paradise Valley Road and offered ample parking on Sunday at 11 am. When we arrived there were a few muddy bikers just getting back to their car, while others were gearing up. We'd hope the rain showers would let up by late morning, but it was still drizzling by the time we hit the trail.
For some reason we were expecting no rain and paved pathways. So, we dressed that way: in street clothes with comfortable walking shoes/sneakers (also dressed for beers afterwards). No worries, though. For the most part we were protected from the rain thanks to the trees. The trails were well maintained so we only had to hop over a few mud puddles. The trail system is well marked with sign posts at every split. We did a quick in and out on the Mainline Trail and took a detour through the Whispering Firs trail on the way out.
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| Info plaques |
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| The Clearing |
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| Muddy buddies |
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| Whispering Firs trail (foot trail only) |
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| Happy Earth Apparel- 50% of their net profits go towards promoting conservation and sustainability |
Toby is still working on trail manners and we'll need to be prepared to calm him down on these mixed-use trails; he doesn't like bikes! All the bikers we encountered were courteous and took it slower than I expected, which I appreciated.
Since it's so close to home, this will be a good one to revisit when we have more time and when it's sunny. I'd like to go for a run with Toby and explore split-offs from the Mainline Trail.