Fisher Basin Community Park is located next to Shahala Middle School and Illahee Elementary School and includes a great loop path to follow around the schools during non-school hours.  (Please avoid walking the school grounds during school hours).

This is a flat paved walk.  What really interested me when I was there, was the abundance of birds in trees along the path between the two schools, and in the field to the west of that path.  I even saw Scrub Jays there, which I have not seen on my other walks.

The empty land next to the schools (at the corner of SE 192nd Ave and SE 1st St) provides an interesting area to look for birds, and some trails to wander.  This area is owned by PeaceHealth so will likely soon be developed into a clinic.

The main access to the park is from SE 192nd Ave or the Middle School Parking Lot. It can also be accessed from E 9th Circle, SE 3rd Way, SE 1st St or the Elementary School Parking Lot.

Wintler Park serves as a great place to start a walk along the Waterfront Renaissance Trail.  It is at the east end of the trail taking you just over 4 miles into the Vancouver waterfront.  Along many areas you can choose to stick to the paved path, or take side trails down to the beach and walk along the river shore.  There are also side trails to interesting view points such as the end of the Jetty at Tidewater Cove Marina and the Henry J. Kaiser Shipyard Memorial.

Be aware that Wintler Park is a very popular beach destination on sunny hot summer days and the parking will fill up.  During the busy season it would be best to park somewhere else to walk the trail, such as at the Vancouver Water Resources Education Center or at parking for Marine Park.

Hathaway Park has a playground, ball field, boat launch, and rough trail along the river.  You can take a stroll through the park, or you can take a more challenging walk up the river.  When I reached the bend in the river, I realized I had been there before, because I had previously come down river along the trail from the Schmid Family Park.  This means there is a more or less walk able trail for roughly half a mile.

This is an area of natural forest surrounded by cleared fields with a network of trails winding through it.  It is a great place for a casual walk in the woods.  The most difficult part of walking these trails is getting to them. There are three points of entry, each with it’s obstacles.

You can enter from the north, by going through the Lucky Memorial Dog Park.  Park at the parking lot for the Dog Park, enter the Dog Park gate, walk straight south through the fenced area, and at the far fence turn right, exit the gate and enter the nature preserve.  It is also possible to walk down NE 101st Pl to reach the nature preserve, but this road is a private drive, so please be respectful of the neighbors.

To enter from the south, you park at the end of NE 97th Ave, then step over the low barbed wire fence, or through the gate, and follow the trail to the trees.

Another trail enters from the track behind Laurin Middle School, but that is mostly useful for anyone coming from the school.

An interesting oddity is the fact that when entering from the south, there is a sign that says “Groth Nature Preserve”, and when entering from the north, there is a sign that says “Lauretta Norene Forest Preserve”.  It appears that there were two adjoining plots of land dedicated by the two families to form the preserve.

This viewpoint was built without a parking area, however there are options to park nearby and walk to it.  A brand new road just completed now takes you right to it.  The area just north of the viewpoint is preserved as a natural area, and has a couple trails that can make for a more interesting walk as well.

The new road to the site is not yet included in Google Maps as of this writing.  It is accessed from a new traffic circle on SE Brady Rd.  There is no open access from SE 42nd Circle.  However, on SE 38th Way, you can enter a trail through the natural area.  Follow this trail until you hit the back of the QFC.  Turn left and follow that trail parallel to the overhead power lines until you reach the path along 192nd Ave, and then up to the Viewpoint.  The trails in this natural area can also be entered from behind Symmetry Massage and Fitness, from next to Radiance Dental Assisting Academy, and from the parking lot near the UPS Store.

If you don’t want to walk through the nature area, but want to walk to the Viewpoint, the parking lots near QFC provide a good option.  Just walk south along the east side of 192nd Ave to the path up to the Viewpoint.  As the area below the Viewpoint is being developed with new roads and multi-use paths, more options are opening up for parking nearby.

This is a long narrow neighborhood park with a paved path that meanders the length of the park and has lollipop loops at both ends.  Walking the full length, circling at both ends, and returning to the starting point makes for about a 1/2 mile walk.