Chinook Bend Natural Area near Carnation

This afternoon, Jake and I planned on meeting up with someone in Carnation.  When the meet up time changed from 4:30 to 5:30 en route to Carnation, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to explore a King County park I'd recently learned about: the Chinook Bend Natural Area.

While there are no "official" trails on this 59 acre property, there are some wide, flat, easy-to-navigate paths that have been worn down by frequent visitors. It's only a 5 minute walk from the parking lot to the Snoqualmie River and would be easily accessible with an off-road stroller.  However, the trail is short enough that this could be a fun "hike" for a 1 or 2 year-old!  The path to the river is wide enough that even a triple-wide stroller would have no problem.  There is also a little sani-can type of facility in the parking lot, which can be handy with kids. 

In addition to being kid-friendly, this park is also dog-friendly, too!  While the Snoqualmie River would be too fast for real swimming for 2 legged or 4 legged family members near flood times, the river is much more lazy in the summer and the paths are mainly grass and dirt (with some rocky and muddy patches along the way), which would be great for soft, padded paws.  We must have seen a dozen happy dogs on leashes during our hour there.

If you're looking for an easy little walk in a park, this is a great change of scenery from some of the more popular areas around.

Here are some pics I took around sunset:

 

Here are some pictures showing the path between the parking lot and the river.  Within about a minute, you'll even see a little beaver dam, which is pretty fun for kids.  Past the beaver dam, you'll see a statue by artist Betsy Damon.  You can listen to her talk about her artwork here: http://www.4culture.org/2011/08/chinook-bend-field-day/.

Path from the parking lot:

Small beaver dam:

Path in grassy field in middle of the park.  It was a little muddy, so I'd recommend boots, especially for kids.

Getting there:
*There isn't an official address for the Chinook Bend Nature Area.  The closest intersection for GPS is 310 Ave NE & NE Carnation Farm Road, Carnation, WA 98014: http://binged.it/15JX8xV.
*For folks coming from Duvall or Carnation, go to 203 and head West on Carnation Farm Road.  After you cross a little bridge over a stream, you will cross a green, arched bridge over the Snoqualmie River.  The parking lot is the first parking lot on the right.
*For folks coming from Redmond, try plugging in the intersection 310 Ave NE & NE Carnation Farm Road, Carnation, WA 98014 into a GPS. When you see the Snoqualmie River start inching onto a GPS screen, keep your eyes open for a  blue "Chinook Bend Nature Area" sign and parking lot on the left side of the street.  If you cross the green, arched bridge over the Snoqualmie, you've gone too far.  Turn around & look for the 1st parking lot just West of the Snoqualmie.

Related links:
King County official info: http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/natural-lands/ecological/chinook-bend.aspx
Information about artwork on site: http://www.4culture.org/2011/08/chinook-bend-field-day/
King County Parks blog: https://kingcountyparks.wordpress.com/tag/chinook-bend/
Parcel info: http://info.kingcounty.gov/Assessor/eRealProperty/Dashboard.aspx?ParcelNbr=0925079008