Photo by Elston Hill
‘Tis Spring and time for WABI’s annual hunt for the elusive Trillium Ovatum. One of the best places locally to find trilliums is the Walker Preserve, a little known park in Normandy Park. Join the WABI Weekday Walkers on Wednesday, March 17 at 9 am at Normandy Park City Hall. (There is minimal parking by the Preserve.) The walk from City Hall, through the Preserve, and back is about three miles, with some muddy and/or hilly patches on the Walker Preserve trail. We will be masked and do social distancing. During the walk, admire the great ivy-pulling work done periodically by volunteers. (Work parties are on hold right now because of the pandemic, but check the Miller Creek/Walker Preserve volunteer calendar. for reactivation.) Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2021 (always the third Wednesday of the month) Time: Meet 5-10 minutes before 9:00 so we can start walking promptly at 9:00 am. Meeting Place: Normandy Park City Hall parking lot, 801 SW 174th St. Note: there are restrooms at the City Hall Park, but there are no restrooms at the Walker Preserve. Special Note: Do not confuse Walker Preserve (which includes Miller Creek) in Normandy Park with the Miller Creek trail further upstream in Burien. Directions: From 1st Ave South, turn west on SW 171st Street. (You should see a small sign pointing to Cove and City Hall). Follow the winding road until you see the playground and City Hall on the left (south) side of the street. 
Fun facts: Is it Miller Creek or Walker Creek? Both! The creek you cross on the footbridge is Walker Creek, but the creek you can catch glimpses of from the Walker Preserve trail is actually Miller Creek. Both creeks come out at the Normandy Park Cove. Miller and Walker Creeks run roughly parallel at this point, and Walker Preserve is mostly on a ridge between the two creeks. For a look at the complicated hydrology of these stream basins, check out King County’s map. For a fun photo tour of the two creeks, look at King County’s website: Miller Creek and Walker Creek. For questions, comments and suggestions, please contact: Laura Kennedy Gould at weekdaywalkers@wabiburien.org or Maureen Hoffmann at info@wabiburien.org,
