Union Bay Natural Area

I was unsure where I was going to park prior to coming, but found a free parking lot with tons of empty spaces right near the Soest Herbaceous Display Garden. I took a dirt road which looped behind the Center for Urban Horticulture, and hooked up with NE Wahkiakum Lane, which was a nice wide open gravel road that took me past a typically lush Northwest forest and then into a more open country with grass and smaller trees.

At the first junction with the Waterfront Trail, I decided to continue on NE Wahkiakum Lane and take the Waterfront Trail loop counterclockwise - no particular reason behind the decision, it’s safe to assume either direction will give you great views of Lake Washington, as well as the ponds. As I walked around Carp Pond, I noticed some ducks as well as a Blue Heron, and I was able to walk up to the edge of Carp Pond and snap a photo of the Blue Heron. Afterwards, I noticed that many of the people walking this loop had either binoculars and or DSLR cameras with huge lenses - this is obviously a good spot to watch birds.

I continued along the Waterfront trail, and noticed a side trail headed up to Central Pond had a number of people on it, so opted to continue along the Waterfront. A lot of the area near the water had fencing around it, and the signs indicated they were trying to rehabilitate the area. There were still a number of places where you could get close to the water and get great views of Lake Washington. And every time I got the near the water I saw ducks or geese or some other bird.

I sat on a bench of a second to take in views of the lake, and then continued along the loop before getting back on NE Wahkiakum Lane. I decided to head towards the buildings and walk around front of the Center for Urban Horticulture, which took me through the Soest Herbaceous Display Garden - it was interesting to see how they had segmented the plants by the the type of soil and amount of sun they like to receive. As I neared the car, I noticed there was another trail through the Yesler Swamp, which I had never heard of. It looked like a quick hike, so I went for it.

The Yesler Swamp trail mostly consists of a raised wooden platform which takes you through the swamp, which is thick with trees. It’s a nice contrast to the Waterfront Trail, and halfway through the loop it opens up and you can see Lake Washington. All along the trail are a number of signs providing information about the area. I was glad I opted to take the short hike through the swamp.

While it's a short hike, even throwing in the Yesler Swamp loop, it's beatiful and defintely worth it, especially if you get to see a Great Heron!

• My GPX file
• My photos on Flickr