Living in Seattle, one has the ability to go from the city to nature without traveling very far. Seattle’s adjacency to the mountains and the Sound provides for options of woods and beaches, wetlands, and forest without the need to get there by car.
The Golden Gardens Loop takes me from the concrete path beside the Ballard Locks to the beach sands, past the Shilshole Marina, where goslings were spotted swimming amongst the boats. Next, onto the soft shores, past firepits, seagulls, and driftwood. The historic bathhouse building sits prominently on the beach next to a lovely stand of trees. It is low tide as I round the point and I am tempted to see just how far I can go along the seaside before dry sands turn wet. Peeking through leaves at the pond, I complete my turtle count for the day. Under and through the tunnel with the ever evolving and changing walls of graffiti, up the hill, up the stair climb and onto the trails through the woods. I drop back down onto the bike path, run past the trains, over bridges and back into the neighborhoods, where the gardens are bursting with Spring flowers.
Here are a few images from my urban/nature hike/run: