Lowell Park & Neighborhood History

Lowell Park was established in the 1960’s when the neighborhood known as the town of Lowell was annexed by Everett, Wa. This once booming little town dates back to 1863. Nearly 30 years senior to the city of Everett. There were three major companies that kept this community thriving. They were Everett Pulp and Paper…

The Living Room Coffee House

Is it a “hole in the wall” you are after or something “quaint?” This coffee shop I discovered in Marysville, Wa will charm you right from the start with its country comfort style and friendly staff. It was a rainy Northwest day and I wanted to go somewhere cozy to draw pictures and chat with…

Miller’s Pond and the O.K. Mill

This has certainly been my most difficult research project yet, but one dear to my heart. My grandparents lived out on a homestead just a few miles away and us grandkids found lots of adventure around Miller’s Pond. The pond was once an alive and thriving community in the early 1900s and now you wouldn’t…

Lake Tye Park

Lake Tye is one of those places I hate to like. It was completely man made while homes were built in tight rows beside it. It’s not really my perfect scenario for getting out in nature, but there is just something about it that keeps me coming back. The park itself is 64 acres while…

Flowing Lake (lower boat launch)

Flowing Lake, part of the Three Lakes area, has consistently offered some great fishing over the years. It’s not uncommon to pull up a 4 pound largemouth bass on the end of your line and the lake is always decently stocked with rainbow trout too. It has been said that there are plenty of catfish…

Lake Goodwin Community Park

The best adventures hardly ever go as planned. That is why this one was so much fun. I had promised to take my niece to the beach this day and had actually planned to take her out to Wenberg County Park, but that turned out to be a flop. We paid the $10 park fee…

Oso Landslide Memorial

March 22nd 2014 I was on my way up Highway 530 to view a property we had just placed an offer on outside of Darrington. It was late morning on a Saturday when traffic was being diverted just past Oso. I rolled my window down as I came up on a fireman and asked him…

Eagle Ridge Park

Eagle Ridge Park in Lake Stevens, Wa is not your typical park with playground equipment and built in barbecues. Rather it is a playground for the imagination. No play equipment, just nature. I took my niece there today and we had the whole place to ourselves. The park grounds is shared with the Lake Stevens…

Ebey Waterfront Trail

Here I am, again, poking around in the Ebey Slough. I have stood on mountain peaks and hiked to remote areas of the great PNW, but there is always this pull in my heart that brings me to the Slough. This swampy, mucky paradise is part of an almost 2,000 square mile watershed of the…

The Eagle Trail

You know when you have found something totally cool and you are absolutely content with this place or thing exactly as it is, but then you find out it has way more features than you initially realized? That is how I feel about Haller Park. I was there recently (you might have already seen the…

The Big Cedar Stump

I had read about this guy, but had to see for myself the famous giant western red cedar stump in Smokey Point, Wa. He’s quite rotund at 20 feet in diameter and was once a towering 200 feet tall. This stump has changed many locations over the last 100 years, so I was glad to…

Haller Park

Haller Park is named after the town that we now know as Arlington, Wa. It’s a 2.5 acre park that serves as an epicenter for all sorts of recreation in the area. Some amenities I noted while visiting are: Ample playground equipment Plumbed restrooms Covered picnic area Swinging benches that overlook the river Boat launch…

Oso Pioneer Cemetery 1888-1935

Way out in the little mountain town of Oso, Washington sits a nearly forgotten and well hidden little cemetery. The picturesque landscape that surrounds it gives you a sense of why way back in 1888 it was chosen as a final resting place, arguably, for some of the toughest pioneers in the area. Their reason…

Northpointe Workout Park and Trail

We began our journey today at the Northpointe Workout Park in South Marysville, Wa. My niece and I worked up an appetite with a quick exercise circuit to test out the equipment before our picnic. Some of the equipment was just too grownup sized for her, but overall we found the park to be a…

Sauk-Suiattle Conservation Area

Not too long ago this land was rededicated to the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe for creating a healthy, productive salmon habitat along the Sauk River. I went to check up on the progress today and I couldn’t have picked a more beautiful morning. My pup, Angel, thought so too. There was still a good amount of snow…

Storm Lake

Storm Lake is part of an area outside of Snohomish that the locals know as “Three Lakes”. Panther Lake is nearby and even closer is Flowing Lake which sums up the trio. They are all tried and true fishing holes if you ask me. 🎣🤠 When I got there the other day the gate was…

Snowshoeing at Swede Heaven (Whitehorse Tr)

This morning I awoke to yet another blanket of fluffy snow in the neighborhood. My car was stuck in the driveway and I just had to get out. Cabin fever was setting in so I strapped my snowshoes to my back, grabbed some hiking poles and hiked out to the Swede Heaven Trailhead on the…

Old School Park – Darrington

Snow covered Old School Park by Charlie Duncan Photography. Click to view “Impending Storm” time lapse! In the heart of Darrington, Wa sits Old School Park. If you are coming from out of town you have probably been oohing and ahhing out the car window the whole way due to the spectacular scenery. Once you…

The Old Cloverdale Farm – Whitehorse Trail

The Whitehorse Trail spans 27 miles from Arlington to Darrington, Wa. Connecting from the Centennial trail and following the North Fork Stillaguamish River upstream along an old BNSF railroad grade. The line was originally laid in 1901 and served several mill and mining operations along the way. This afternoon I thought I would make a…

Tour the Lake Part 2 (North Lakeshore Swimming Beach)

The second stop on the tour of Lake Stevens is really quite quick and to the point, so I’ll get the details out of the way before getting into the juicy parts. With a modest sandy beach feet from the parking area and a nice dock putting you out just far enough to get your…

FishViews (Virtual Adventure)

So we know about Google Street View and how you can take a virtual tour down nearly every public street in America, but what about our waterways? FishViews is a revolutionary company that is mapping our waterways one river and one shoreline at a time. I just took a tour down the North Fork Stillaguamish…

Teepee Falls

My husband and I took a drive this afternoon up the Suiattle River Road outside of Darrington, Wa. We hit a little bit of snow, but made it just fine to our destination and even beyond. My sights were on something I had driven over several times, but didn’t know was there. 6.75 miles up…

Tour the Lake Part 1 (Lundeen Park)

After a visit to the Lake Stevens library to read up on some local history I decided that I couldn’t tell the story of the legendary Lake Stevens of Lake Stevens in just one blog post. Also, each park along its vast shores offer a unique experience to be had. Here begins Part 1 of…

Sunnyside Nursery (guest blogger)

I have this brilliant niece, June Bug. She’s 9 years old, has countless talents, loves reading, horticulture, and much more. She recently took a class at Sunnyside Nursery along with her daddy on how to grow roses. She said that I should write about it on PNW Adventure Sisters, but really a true adventure can’t…

Barclay Lake and the Big Cat!

This past weekend was beautiful and dry! Something the PNW hasn’t seen for sometime, so my cousin Tom and I decided to head for Barclay Lake in the Wild Sky Wilderness area off of Highway 2 in Baring, Wa. Once you leave the highway there’s a worthwhile stop on the way up to the trailhead….

Boulder River (Falls) Trail

Here’s a hike that is just a few minutes from my house and really has quite a bit to offer. This brisk and beautiful Saturday morning I decided to take a solo trip up the Boulder River trail. It’s an 8.6 Mile round trip hike with 700 gradual feet in elevation gain, but you can…

Granite Falls, Granite Falls

Right at the gateway to one of the best drives in Washington State sits Granite Falls, a quaint little town. The Mountain Loop Highway connects this historically rich town to yet another even smaller town just as full of mining, logging and Native American history. Not to mention the many hidden treasures along the way….

The secret at Frank Mason Park

On the drive to Granite Falls I’ve passed by this lake every time and never stopped to find an access point. Today was the day! I was headed straight on the highway, but somehow the car turned right onto Crooked Mile Road and I followed the sign to Frank Mason Park. I pulled into the…

Machias Cemetary – Civil War POW

A large portion of my childhood was spent in Machias, Washington. One place I had never explored was the Cemetery. It sits just above the old townsite of Machias. There’s two sections to this final resting place, as a road winds through the center. On the left is the newer section and on the right…

A Walk to Lake Cassidy

It looked as though the rain was going to hold off this morning, so I grabbed my niece and we set out on an adventure. Lake Cassidy had been on my list and seemed easy enough for little legs at 2.6 miles round trip and only 50 feet in elevation gain. It’s a small section…

Harborview Park (Ebey Slough)

I have this love affair with Ebey Slough, and today I was finally able to explore a section of it I had yet to see at Harborview Park in Marysville, Wa. This expansive estuary of the Snohomish River not only exudes beauty at the center of urban sprawl, it also beholds controversial and somewhat painful…

Fortson Mill Ghost Town

This morning my husband and I had to run down below (that’s what Darrington folks call going to town). On the way I wanted to stop at Fortson to get some photos to accompany the story I’m about to tell you. The history of a town that could have made it, but didn’t. As we…

How to plan your first hiking adventure!

Are you curious about hiking, but afraid to make the plunge? Fear of the unknown will keep you on the sidelines your whole precious life if you let it. Once you get out there a few times you’ll probably laugh at your initial hesitation. My philosophy is that the more you subject yourself to what…

The Lake Stevens Monster!

Hidden in a treed area surrounded by a neighborhood built in the 90’s is the little known “Lake Stevens Monster!” Standing 34 feet tall, 78 feet wide with a midsection measuring an astounding 210 feet. This gargantuan beast is one best appreciated in person, as my photos do its colossal size no justice. What is…