Urban Walk - Downtown Edmonds

Olympic View Park Trailhead: (aka Southwest County Park): Coordinates 47.83623, -122.33991 

There is very limited parking, room for about 9 cars, with no other option for parking. No parking pass required

Time: 8 AM - This means parking before 8 to be ready for introductions.

Incorporated in 1890, Edmonds boasts enviable views of Puget Sound and the Olympics with a vibrant downtown rich with arts culture and a beloved waterfront that can be enjoyed all year round. 

Note: I'm posting this as challenging due to the mileage. 

Reminder:  10 miles is a lot to cover in one day, and the pace will be at minimum, 2.5 mph, (going slower for the uphill portions) While we will enjoy the sights and stop briefly to enjoy the views and waterfront, we will keep a steady pace!  If you prefer to walk slower, or like a more leisure type of urban walk, this may not be the trip for you.

Itinerary: A 10-mile loop, with about 700 feet of elevation gain, visiting the following spots: You need to have the endurance to cover 10 miles at 2.5 mph minimum. 

Terrain: this is about 10% soft forest floor (heavily rooted), 80% sidewalks and 20% roads with and without delineated shoulders. 

• We will begin at Olympic View Park where it is heavily forested. We will cover the perimeter of the park in 1.2 miles with about 250 feet of elevation gain.
  • This park has 120 forest acres with a series of forested ravines and Perrinville Creek, which flow through the eastern portion of the Park to Brown's Bay on Puget Sound. During the mid-1900's, the area was logged and used as farm land and residential home sites. The area along Perrinville Creek, a 120-acre parcel of land composed of forested ravines and wetlands, remained relatively untouched. Since 1971, the 120-acre parcel has been known as Southwest County park. The Park has the distinction of being the largest single parcel of open space within the Edmonds city limits. The site's past history lies indelibly on the land as evidenced by the buckboard notches in the site's old growth stumps. Overgrown logging skid roads are now hiker's footpaths.
  • There are no restrooms here, but it is a forest where party separations are feasible. (bring TP and hand sanitizer)
• From the park we will pop out onto Olympic View Drive where we will wind our way through beautiful residential with peek a boo views of the sound.
• Our second stop will include views along Sunset Beach and Bracketts Landing.
  • Sunset Beach tied to the history of the area, including the discovery of the town site by George Brackett, the establishment of the Sunset Beach Hotel, and the sale of the property after the hotel burned down.
  • Brackett's Landing: In 1872 George Brackett, a young logger, bought 147 acres of virgin timberland near the shore of what was to become Edmonds, for $650.00. Ten years later, the timber industry became the first business to utilize the area.
• We will walk along Brackett's Landing out onto a pedestrian-only strip where you will often see people fishing ending with amazing views of the sound, and on clear days, the Olympics and Mt. Baker!
  • This will be a place to have a robust snack, and if we all agree, a stop at Shore Pine Coffee https://shorepinecoffee.com/ for a break before heading into the rest of the walk.
  • There are three options for restrooms in this area: Brackett's Landing, North and South, and the Ferry Terminal Information Station. And if we stop at Shore Pine Coffee, another restroom can be an option.
• From the waterfront we will head back to Main Street and pop onto to 3^rd Ave in the area that is known as the Creative District - https://www.arts.wa.gov/edmonds/
• From the Creative District, we will wind our way back to a junction that will begin a steady ascent along Puget Drive. In about .60 miles we will gain around 280 feet of elevation! This is the most heavily trafficked and noisy part of the walk yet lies between a lush forested bluff and a ravine of Maplewood Hill Park.
• From the Creative District, we will wind through residential to visit Yost Park. Named after Allen Yost who in 1902, founded the Edmonds Spring Water Company. The park is original native forest.
• We will get off Puget Drive and weave through residential with our last stop at Sea View Park. A small park that pops out onto residential where we will weave our way back to the other side of the Olympic View Park where will finish with two forested loops before heading back to the cars.
  • There are restrooms at Sea View Park, but not guaranteed to be open.

Trip Goals:

• To build endurance and conditioning
• That we have fun, rain or shine!
• To complete a 10-mile loop in Edmonds that includes the waterfront, Olympic View Park, Sea View Park, and quiet residential.

Trip Expectations: 

• That you're on time at the trailhead prepared and ready to be social and engaging.
• That we stay together as a group (to see one another at all times) and build community and trust with one another. 
• That you prepare for a long urban walk, with plenty of nutrition, hydration and stamina.
• That we treat one another with respect, compassion and understanding.

Trip Style: 

• I'm an inclusive leader: compassionate and approachable
• While destination focused for this walk, I also appreciate nature and pointing out the beauty that we see around us.
• I'm a leader who appreciates engaged participants where teamwork and community are priority
• I am firm and definitive with logistics and my expectations, yet willing to provide flexibility if the situation allows

Land Acknowledgment: 

"I acknowledge that the land we will be recreating on is situated on the unceded traditional lands of the Coast Salish people who have been the original caretakers of this land since time immemorial. We honor their legacy and ongoing presence in our community."