Trip
Day Hike - Island Center Forest
Spend a day on Vashon and Maury Islands! Hike Island Center Forest and Maury Island Natural Area Loop, stop to see the Vashon troll at Point Robinson Park, and enjoy lunch in downtown Vashon. 1st of three trip listings.
Contacts
- Tue, Sep 24, 2024
- Foothills Hiking Committee
- Day Hiking
- Adults
- Easy
- Challenging
- Mileage: 5.5 mi
- Elevation Gain: 400 ft
- High Point Elevation: 482 ft
- Pace: avg 2.5 mph
- 1 (6 capacity)
- FULL (2 capacity)
- Cancellation & Refund Policy
This is the 1st of three trips for Tuesday Sep 24 for a "Day of Vashon & Maury Islands" - see itinerary below. Click here for the 2nd trip and here for the 3rd trip. Please only register if you are genuinely committed to spending a day on Vashon. It is challenging for others on the waitlist to arrange schedules when those on the roster cancel 1-2 days before the trip. Leader reserves the right to cancel anyone off the roster whose activity history lists multiple recent cancellations.
Meet at 7:50 am at public parking lot at 4829 SW Barton Street near Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal *OR* at 8:45 am at 188th Street Trailhead (10612 Southwest 188th Street - Vashon). For those riding together on the ferry, we will split ferry cost equally. After introductions and discussion of group goals and trail conditions, we will plan to start hiking by 8:55 am. No parking passes required. There are no bathrooms at the trailhead.
Located in the center of Vashon Island, Island Center Forest is a 450-acre working forest and nature preserve featuring various forest stands, meadows, and the Mukai Pond and Meadowlake Pond wetlands. It is home to the headwaters of Judd Creek. Birds are abundant on the wetlands, and the forest is lush, with large, second-growth trees, a testament to the effort that several groups have put into managing this forest in order to restore the health of this area.
We will follow a clockwise route at an avg pace of 2.5 mph, starting at the 188th Trail. After a brief stop at Meadow Lake Pond, we will continue on to Bogg Detour, around Forestry Loop, past Judd Creek, around Mike's Corner and onto Craig's Trail. We will then head north on aptly named Dump Run towards the transfer station, around Burrow Pit Loop and onto North Trail and Techmo Trail. We will stop briefly at Mukai Pond then loop back on Gateway Trail to the starting point.
While elevation gain is modest, hike has a Leader Rating of Challenging due to club activity standards regading pace. Otherwse a non-technical hike, although trails are shared with horses.
Day on Vashon & Maury Islands Itinerary
- Arrive 8:35 am via Fauntleroy ferry (or meet at 8:45 am at 188th Street trailhead)
- Island Center Forest Hike
- Lunch in downtown Vashon
- Brief visit to "Oscar the Bird King" troll at Point Robinson Park
- Maury Island Natural Area Loop
- Depart 3:45 pm or 4:50 pm via Vashon Island ferry
Click here for Gaia route.
Click here for King County Parks map.
Full details will be soon after registration closes on Sep 20. In the interim, please contact the leader with any questions at BMPeacock@aol.com.
Required Equipment
- Navigation
- Headlamp
- Sun protection
- First aid
- Knife
- Fire
- Shelter
- Extra food
- Extra water
- Extra clothes