Hike #4: Forest Lane

Trailhead: The end of Forest Lane off NW 53rd. This turns into Firelane 1.

What I listened to in the car: This American Life on the radio! They were playing a story from the new podcast Invisibilia about how expectations effect outcomes in our lives.

Companions: Just Tumalo!

Trails hiked on: Firelane 1, the Wildwood Trail and the Nature Trail

Miles hiked: 2.6 miles

Unique miles hiked: 2 miles

Total challenge miles: 8.7 miles

Weather: Very foggy and wet and muddy

Notes:

This is one of my favorite parts of the park and one I only found after a few years of exploring. I found the trail heads on SW 53rd quickly, but Forest Lane looks like the kind of road you shouldn't get to drive down if you don't have business there. Turns out, though, it's a trail head that gets you to some absolutely fantastic parts of Forest Park.

The day was very foggy and the trail very muddy, but it was still beautiful. After 6/10th of a mile along Firelane 1 you find yourself in a bit of an opening in the woods. There is one of those lovely maps where the Wildwood trail crosses Firelane 1. I turned left and walked down through the forest towards the Nature Trail. The trail descends gently and then drops down some switchbacks where you see the sign for the connector to the Nature Trail. If you continue down the Wildwood Trail a little bit further you can make a loop down the Chestnut trail and back up that is absolutely beautiful. I wasn't up for the down and up that canyon today, so I just made a smaller loop with the Nature Trail. The Nature Trail was muddy but busy today. There were lots of runners and families out enjoying the park. The trail winds its way up to the hill back to Firelane 1.

I plan to come back to this part of the park a number of times this year. In addition to doing the loop down the Chestnut Tail, I've never been down Firelane 1 all the way to Leif Ericson or the Wildwood back towards 53rd Ave. It's a gorgeous part of the park.