Over the past seven months, Lynnwood Lifestyle has featured notable Lynnwood residents, unique restaurants, a broad range of community events, and background on significant art works in public places.
But this historic-for-its-high-temperatures month demands that we direct readers’ attention to the outdoors. Certainly no community is more worthy of a shout out for its parks and recreation system than Lynnwood, Washington.
So, we checked in with Park Superintendent Eric Peterson for a few suggestions of cool, shaded breezeways as the sun blazes on through August.
Peterson assures readers, “Lynnwood has many parks with historic relevance, unique signature features, and community partnerships.”
Let’s mix in some smaller greenbelts with Lynnwood’s venerable larger parks and see what the results are as we devise a plan on how to spend our coming summer days.
If you have a favorite park that calls to you (or your children) please let Lynnwood Lifestyle readers know by leaving your suggestion in the comments box at the end of this column.
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Daleway Park is the top pick of author Paddy Eger (“When The Music Stops” – Tendril Press] when she needs a quiet spot to reflect on her novel’s plot twists and character arcs. Eger lives on the Edmonds side of Lynnwood and as an ‘eastside’ resident finds the 19015 64th Ave. W. location perfect for getaways from her writer’s desk for a walk along Daleway Park’s trail.
The Daleway Park east trailhead is off 60th Avenue West and meanders through a forested band of trees providing shade and quiet. At the park’s opposite end is the 64th Ave. W. entrance which leads to open spaces, a spray pad that is perfect for cooling off little ones on our hottest days, plus picnic tables to spread out watermelon slices, sandwiches, and all sorts of fare at snack time.
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Gold Park is our next stop. This park, located at 6421 200th St. S.W., calls to us because of its “seasonal spring” and the appeal of its forested trails.
The city’s parks department explains that the park is “preserved as a forested open space” in which trails meander through a botanical wonderland of trillium, ferns, and fairybells.
Described by the parks department as an ethnobotanical garden, the trails beckon visitors with its foliage of glossy greens and welcoming breezeways.
Gold Park is unique in the Lynnwood parks system because of its designation that the park grounds remain a passive park – no playground equipment, no spray pads. Its central feature is its ecosystem.
The park was adopted by Edmonds Community College’s LEAF (Learn-and-Serve Environmental Anthropology Field) program in 2010.
Shaded picnic areas make this park’s natural settings particularly appealing.
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North Lynnwood Park, 18510 44th Ave. W., grabs the attention of Lynnwood Lifestyle if for no other reason than its nickname: Dragon Park.
With its expansive open landscape, and plenty of features for Lynnwood’s younger set, North Lynnwood Park might be the perfect spot for larger reunions and PEPS [Program for Early Parent Support] gatherings.
Nicknamed for its artsy dragon inspired spray park fixture that jets refreshing cool water, the park was featured in Lynnwood Today shortly after the 2009 renovation of its spray pad.
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Lynnwood has no shortage of parks including historic Heritage Park, Wilcox Park – plus the pool at the Recreation Center (18900 44th Ave. W.)
But we thought it might be fun to survey the Facebook group “Edmonds Moms” (which includes many Lynnwood Moms as well) to find out which Lynnwood parks are family favorites.
Ketrin Cromer puts her vote in for Dragon Park; enthusiastically adding an exclamation point to her endorsement. Jennifer Tait chooses Logan Park.
Then there’s Brianne Pruitt’s comment, “We like the spray parks . . . but we also like going to Scriber Lake Park to walk the shaded paths and look at the ducks and dragonflies.”
And Heidi Owen offers a ringing endorsement of Daleway Park for these hot days, reminding mommies that the ice cream truck makes stops at the park!
Whichever Lynnwood park you choose to discover, or revisit, Lynnwood Lifestyle can guarantee a history lesson, a good splash around, a breezy (or sunshiny) picnic – and lots of fun.
— By Emily Hill
Emily Hill is the author of two novels and a short story collection. She also writes the Artfully Edmonds column for My Edmonds News. Emily is retired from a career in public information and news media relations. If you would like your event listed, or featured, in Lynnwood Lifestyle, Emily invites you to contact her at emily@lynnwoodtoday.wpengine.com.
Mini Park (Sprague Pond), Scriber Lake, and Scriber Creek Park are good places to spot and photograph birds. You can walk from one to another via a walkway which runs from Scriber Lake southeast to 200th.
Three Lynnwood parks are very good for bird watching: Scriber Lake, Mini Park (Sprague Pond), and Scriber Creek Park.