Take a Hike
2023 Season Hikes
Guided hikes in the Greenbelt will resume this spring, summer, and fall. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the South Seattle College Arboretum on the third Saturday of the month for a hike of up to three miles and up to two hours on maintained and less maintained (sometimes muddy) trails.
Earth Day, 2023, History in the Greenbelt
On Earth Day,April 22, some 80 people joined WDGT group-led hikes beginning at the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center. Several hikes went to the top of the ridge to Pigeon Point Park. Another walk went through the ancient village site of He-?a-pus across from the Longhouse. They were followed by a history-gathering event with panelists Ken Workman, Tom Rasmussen, and Kersti Muul and many others sharing personal histories of the greenbelt. Anyone with more history to share is encouraged to email wdgtrails@gmail.com.
PAST HIKES
August 13, 2022 Tribal Uses of Plants in the Greenbelt
Bri Castilleja of the Samish Tribe identified plants with medicinal and nutritional value in the greenbelt.
July 2, 20002
The hike began at Heron’s Nest and explored the lower areas of the Greenbelt near Puget Way and West Marginal Way.
June 4, 2022 Puget Creek Watershed
On National Trails Day, Steve Richmond, long-time advocate for restoring the health of Puget Creek, led a hike following the water in the Puget Creek Watershed, from its origins near Puget Ridge Edible Park to its outlet into the Duwamish Waterway near the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center.
April 30, 2022 City Nature Challenge
We enthusiastically initiated our first guided hikes of 2022 with the City Nature Challenge. Using the i-Naturalist app we walked from Riverview Playfields to Lost Pond and observed, photographed and identifed wildlife, from birds to beetles, from salmonberry to nettles. Leela Rankin contributed a few photos.
Virtual Hikes
During 2020 and 2021, we developed the following virtual hikes.
Walk with Ken Workman of the Duwamish
In a series of walks in the northern portion of the greenbelt, follow Ken Workman, great-great-great-great grandson of Chief Seattle, as he describes the native history of this ridge, the native and edible plants he sampled as a boy, the Duwamish use of clay, and the continuing presence of Duwamish ancestors.
Click here for We Are Still Here.
Click here for Welcome My Friend.
Click here for Edible Plants, Oregon Grape
Click here for Native Plants, Lady Fern
Click here for Duwamish Uses of Clay
Click here for Golden Hour in the Greenbelt
Dump Truck Run aerials
Click here for aerial views of what is affectionately known as the Dump Truck Run, starting at S.W. Holly St. and 14th Ave. S.W. and ending at Highland Park Way (or the other way around). Clay Eals and Jean Sherrard photographed and featured this trail in their Seattle Now & Then column in The Seattle Times on May 6, 2021, and included more description on their website.
Tree Decay
Click here to walk with Maxfield Shea as he explains the process of tree decay, the compartmentalization of decay in trees (CODIT). Instead of “healing” their woody tissue, trees have “walls” that help to compartmentalize decay and keep it from spreading. Better understanding of these processes can help to make sense of all the wild and unexpected ways that trees adapt to their wilder environments. Maxfield is an aspiring arborist and recently went through the horticulture program at South Seattle College, located along the margin of the West Duwamish Greenbelt.
Mindfulness
Click here to walk with mindfulness, guided by mindfulness teacher Andrea D’Asaro and spoken word poet Trent Randall. They begin in the Pigeon Point Park area of the greenbelt and utilize poetry, mindful breathing, listening, walking, and standing to appreciate the greenbelt and become centered in the moment.
Native Plants
Click here to walk with Steve Richmond, master of native plants and forest restoration, in a series of videos as he identifies both native and non-native plants and how they interact. Steve’s walk begins at the trailhead at S.W. Holly Street and 14th Ave. S.W. After viewing his videos, you may explore for yourself on good trails built by Seattle Parks and volunteer groups.
Walking Native Land
In both 2018 and 2019, Ken Workman, the great-great-great-great grandson of Chief Seattle, led walks on native land in the woods where he played as a boy. Click here to walk with Ken on a short trail leaving from S.W. Dawson St. and 19th Ave. S.W. as he talks about the Duwamish heritage in the land.
Trail-Running
If you’re looking for a muddier challenge, check out trail-running in the greenbelt. Click here for a video Bryan Schaeffer provided. Follow runners south through the greenbelt to Westcrest Park on harder-to-find trails. The video was produced as part of a decade-long project called Best of the NW, highlighting trails within a day’s drive of Seattle.
First Saturday Hikes 2019
The 2019 season featured seven Saturday walks in the West Duwamish Greenbelt, the largest urban forest in Seattle. See descriptions below. The WDGT group deeply appreciates all those who contributed their time and passion to lead hikes this season; the West Duwamish Greenbelt is a busy place!
Mushroom: On October 5th a small gaggle emerged at 14th and Holly for the final Saturday hike of the season. Fungi had formed up around the West Duwamish Greenbelt trails for our mushroom-themed walk. Many mushrooms stuck to their more subtle, camouflaged Fall colors and low profile while the iconic red and orange Amanitas (the “Mario mushrooms”) stood out like small bright sculptures among the damp coppery brown leaf litter. The WDGT group was fortunate and grateful to host Kim Traverse to lead an exploration of fungi livelihood. Kim served for four years as the president of the Puget Sound Mycological Society and is a chief organizer for the annual Wild Mushroom Show which occurs this year October 26 & 27 at North Seattle College.
Geology: September 7 More than 20 hikers joined environmental educator Devin O’Reilly for an exploration of Duwamish Valley geology. Devin explained glacial movements in West Seattle, soil and rock types, river pathways in south Seattle and Renton, and the likely presence of a glacial erratic in the greenbelt.
Land Use History: August 3 Hikers explored the land use history of the West Duwamish Greenbelt with urban forester Paul West. They learned how 500 acres were acquired and how sand and gravel operations, kiln dust contamination, and plans for a freeway have threatened the sustainability of the greenbelt.
Native Plants: July 6 Steve Richmond, an expert in controlling invasive plants and restoring native plant communities, instructed 15 walkers on plant identification and descriptions in the greenbelt.
Native Land: June 1
More than 75 people of all ages walked native land from ridge to river on National Trails Day in the West Duwamish Greenbelt. Ken Workman, a descendant of Chief Seattle, described his personal experience growing up on Puget Ridge and the Duwamish experience of the land on the ridge and along the Duwamish River. The hike left South Seattle College and followed an unimproved trail down to the Duwamish Longhouse on West Marginal Way and back up. Hikers had to walk the parking strip along the busy truck-way because sidewalks are intermittent there. The hike, sponsored by the West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails group, highlighted the vision of a ridge to river trail, connecting landscapes nurturing human life for thousands of years.
Insect Discovery: May 4
Thirty-five to forty walkers of all ages joined guest leader Amber Chiozza of Scarabs: the Bug Society, on an insect discovery walk. Amber is an artist/printmaker, art conservator, educator and naturalist with a passion for insects, especially bees & wasps. The walkers included a contingent of first grade enthusiasts from the West Seattle Nature Girls. All the children were provided inexpensive magnifying boxes with which to inspect and release live insect specimens. Pigeon Point Park proved to be the most fitting venue again because of its diverse, sprawling landscape that includes open grassy areas and wooded wetland.
After a short introduction, the group headed to the open areas near the Pathfinder School entrance and spent the remaining time searching grass, lifting rocks and scanning the flowers and bushes. Amber roamed around with a gaggle of children illuminating insect specimens. The group briefly detained a bumble bee just in time to compare it to a fly that looks like a bee; mimicry in nature is not uncommon. Best comment, from a first grader, overheard as we headed back to the trailhead: “That was beautiful. I thought it would be boring.”
Birds of all Kinds
On April 6, expert birder Scott Markowitz from the Tahoma Audubon led a bird hike in Pigeon Point Park. The hike began at 10:00 am at the very moment that the sun broke the rainy weather that had been projected. The group of about 18 participants watched a hummingbird perform a territorial “J-dive” dance, analyzed song sparrow calls, inspected the mossy nest of a bushtit and watched a sharp-shinned hawk out-maneuver angry crows- just to list highlights. The known owl resident was not present, but the group found a pellet beneath its tree and discovered skeletons of small animals on which the owl had snacked.
2018 Hikes
Transportation History
South Seattle College librarian Randy Nelson led a group on a history hike, describing the streetcar line that ran through the Greenbelt, the sand and gravel operations that left an old road, and the proposal for a Soundway through the greenbelt.
Cultural History
In August 2018 70 of us hiked a Puget Park trail following Puget Creek with Ken Workman 4th generation-great grandson of Chief Seattle. Ken talked about growing up in this neighborhood, finding quiet and an escape from the city in the woods, and about the continuing presence of Duwamish ancestors in the very soil and trees of the greenbelt.
Come Back to Your Senses, a one-hour mindfulness walk led by Andrea D’Asaro of Awaken to Mindfulness and Ken Workman.
Andrea began guiding the group with mindful breathing practice and continued with slow and then faster walking to wake up the senses and calm restless minds. They paused along the way to observe each sense perception and experience the wisdom of the forest with fresh eyes.
Ken spoke about the connection between Native culture and mindfulness and cultivating a deep connection with the earth.
National Trails Day
For the second year in a row, along with the Nature Consortium, we participated in National Trails Day, June 2, 2018, offering guided hikes in the West Duwamish Greenbelt.
West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails 