A walk out to Howarth Park and back is a good five-mile route, even though so much of it is on the oh-so-loud Mukilteo Boulevard. But I was really ready for it today, because going all the way down there means a good climb coming back. I used to spend a lot more time down there, but the beach has been closed for a while due to engineering concerns about the pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks. And today I learned that even though the upper part of the park is still open, they close the bathrooms for the winter. Boo.
It's really a lovely park. Amazing views.
They taped over the part indicating that the work on the bridge should have been done by now, in Fall 2015. So maybe it'll go on long enough that it won't matter that they closed it for the summer. If it's a whole year, there's a summer in that year no matter what.
It never occurred to me that they'd close the lower parking area and the access road to it. That actually works out nicely for those of us walking there, because a road with no cars on it is a great place to walk. Makes me miss the cool access road at Interlaken Park in Seattle, for sure.
The sky cleared up a lot more than I thought it would.
Seriously, though, if you need a spot for a picturesque picnic, you could do way worse than Howarth Park.
There's some very nice real estate all around the park. One house is on four lots and has these amazing lions flanking the driveway.
This is one of my favorite houses in Everett. It's the last one before the start of the road going down to the beach on the Eastern side, and it's got a deck with amazing views. And I really like the style.
Even the most plain neighborhood park, a ball field in View Ridge, is still quite nice.
A huge swath of Forest Park is still untouched other than the boulevard up above. It's a bridge in that area and I'd estimate it's 50 feet above the ground. I love the mossy trees in that part.
Today's route. Nice climbs, good views, and my first 5+ mile walk since October. Nice to have this one in my pocket for wet weather.
