Park and Trail Reviews

As a family, we love to explore the outdoors.  The more outdoor time the better!  Below you will find reviews of parks and trails in Snohomish County along with tips for enjoying your time there.

The Perfect Picnic Spot: Everegreen Arboretum
Luscious trees, flowers, interesting art, and wide-open green fields. What else do you need for a picnic? The Evergreen Arboretum is the perfect place to take a quick stroll, have a picnic with the kids, or even give a lesson on plant names as most of the plants have signs and information. If the children get bored, you can easily stroll across the parking lot to Legion Park where there are plenty of play structures to keep them busy.


Location: 145 Alverson Blvd. Everett, WA 98201 (when you enter the parking lot, take a right to the Arberetum).
Website: http://www.evergreenarboretum.com/
Pro's: Areas to play and explore, trails, open spaces for picnics, beautiful scenery, close to playground
Con's: Only one picnic table so be sure to bring a blanket to sit on
Tips: Bring a blanket to sit on and bring your camera for some great shots with the kids. This is located close to the Everett Marina so it tends to get some marine air. Bring an extra sweater to stay warm.

Get in Touch with Nature at the Narbeck Wetland Sanctuary
Walk the boardwalk through a wonderful wetland full of trees, streams, a lake, ducks, frogs, beavers, and much more. Each day is new at the Wetland. My children love this place on both nice days and not so nice days as they always see new creatures. We often do a scavenger hunt that keeps the kids entertained (view the Tips page for a sample). There are plenty of sticks and rocks to play with and this is the perfect place to explore on foot or with a stroller.

Location: 6921 Seaway Blvd Everett, WA
Website: http://narbeck.org/index.html
Pro's: Wood boardwalk, wonderful nature trail, typically not busy, wildlife
Con's: Parking is a challenge with a small parking lot that many Boeing employees park at, no feeding of wildlife so this isn't the place to bring your leftover breadcrumbs
Tips: Arrive ten minutes early to get a parking spot. Best time is actually early in the morning or after the Boeing employees are done for the day (typically after 3pm). Wear a good pair of tennis shoes as you will definitely get your excercise. There are two trails. The short trail typically takes me about 20 minutes with the kids and the long trail (which goes up some stairs and turns off the boardwalk onto a gravel trail), takes about 40 minutes.



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