West Hylebos Wetlands

411 South 348th St., Federal Way

http://hylebos.org/

Although I write a lot about food, one of the best things about Federal Way is the abundance of beautiful, well-maintained parks. A favorite of mine is the West Hylebos Wetlands Park. It has so much to look at and all of it is rather awe-inspiring. When you arrive, you walk through a small park with two historic cabins, one built by the Denny family in present day lower Queen Anne and the other by the first pioneers in the area who came across the Oregon Trail. Both cabins have been moved here from their original locations and restored. Follow the trail from there and you’ll wind up in a beautiful meadow that, in the warmer weather, is full of little brown rabbits. You can picnic and stroll down to a small lake full of ducks. All that alone makes for a very happy afternoon for my little family but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

From the meadow, the trail turns into a boardwalk that takes you on a mile-long walk through the wetlands full of enormous old trees and all kinds of wildlife including frogs, woodpeckers, and herons. At the end of the boardwalk trail is a shiny little lake. This park is not only beautiful, it provides sanctuary for hundreds of native species and actually serves as a filter for Federal Way’s drinking water.

When I spend time at West Hylebos Wetlands, I realize how breath-taking all of Federal Way must have been when the only major highway near town was the Oregon Trail. Then it makes me remember why I decided to settle here myself.