Trip Report
Stewardship - Shadow Lake Nature Preserve
Soggy day for a Stewardship but volunteer enthusiasm remained high. Blackberries removal and meadow trail creation were our tasks for the day.
Courtenay Schurman
- Sat, Feb 7, 2026
- Stewardship - Shadow Lake Nature Preserve
- Shadow Lake Nature Preserve
- Stewardship
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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I wasn't sure what to expect wtih this Stewardship activity, as I'd never heard of SHADOW Lake Reserve but this is a real gem. REAL restrooms are available at the volunteer site. The GREEN, wow. I love that the trail has mesh for traction. It almost felt like I was walking through a hallway of greenery as it doesn't adhere to the WTA trail rules of a certain clearance on either side -- too much would encroach on this peat bog's space.
The meadow where trail construction is going on is quite muddy and covered in brambles, but perfect for a stewardship project. Can't wait to see when it's all finished. I appreciated seeing markers in thanks to Eagle Scout projects, so cool.
PARKING: Minimal. We had 6 cars in the parking lot at one point and others had to park on the road; and at our destination we actually took shuttle cars since there were only 3 parking spots at the fence to the meadows. I think I heard Cecilia say something about that changing in the future, but for now, minimal.
SHADOW stands for "Save Habitat and Diversity of Wetlands" and is a nature preserve about 45 minutes south of Seattle. 10 of us from the Mountaineers met for a very soggy Stewardship day of removing blackberries from young trees and carting wheelbarrow loads of rocks to build new trails.
Fortunately, our leader took pity on us (or maybe she just got soaked herself) and let us eat lunch under barn protection from the rain. That led to letting us leave earlier than planned.
I took a walk down to the peat bog (.2 miles each way) and snapped some shots of one of the most beautiful, lush, green, quiet and peaceful landscapes I think I've ever seen.
If you get a chance to check it out, do so; they open at 9 on Saturdays and require a reservation to hike in the upper meadows. And if you are unable to figure out the secret to getting on always-filled WTA work parties (please, what is it?!) and want to help either the Mountaineers with stewardships or Cecilia Monahan with projects, this seems like a wonderful opportunity.
Glad I went despite traffic from "Revive I-5" going home and a failed experiment on my waterproof gear (it's not!). Volunteers for the Mountaineers are wonderfully upbeat, enthusiastic, and cheerful despite the blackberry brambles, flat tires on the 2-wheeled wheelbarrows, mismatched gloves, and drenching downpour. I'll go again, but I'll wait for nicer weather.
Not much in the way of birdsong -- too many voices, too much rain -- but I did hear a red-winged blackbird, robin, steller's jay, kinglets, and some chickadees.