Take a Mini-Vacation at Juanita Bay Park in Kirkland

Juanita Bay Park on Lake Washington in Kirkland teems with wildlife this time of year. Go alone or take the kids. You may discover frogs hiding in the reeds or spy painted turtles, by the dozens on a lucky day, sunning themselves on logs.

Take a picnic lunch and bring the dog (make sure to remember his leash); binoculars for spotting eagles and great blue herons come in handy, too. Stop at the information center before you enter the park. There you will learn what to look for as you meander down one of three boardwalks that serve as your portal into the natural world as it was before man built over it.

Leave the sloping grassy picnic area and enter cool, lush woods--nature in harmony, soothing to the soul and mind invites you to linger. What you are waiting for is the sound of a red-winged black bird clinging to a cattail and claiming his territory through song. Or a great blue heron, as still as a statue, lurking in the shadows, waiting for an unsuspecting fish to come within striking distance of his "sword sharp" beak.

Right now water lilies carpet the surface of the pond. They provide camouflage for pied billed grebes nesting their babies. If you are a good spotter you may see several downy soft brown ducklings. Don't hesitate to ask the other visitors what they have seen. Some are regulars who know where the nests are and what is happening on any given day.

Don't worry about the weather. The park is just as generous with surprises on an overcast afternoon as a sunny one. Evening, too, is a lively time to visit as the birds come out to feed and beavers as well.

The causeway runs parallel to 98th Avenue. It used to be the old road into downtown Kirkland. Mid-way down is the beaver lodge. The best time to catch them at work is dusk. Walk a bit farther north for a clear view of the lake and the ancient pilings that were once part of a ferry dock. Before the bridges were built people ferried across the lake to reach Seattle. You should see a group of cormorants perched upon the old pilings, wings spread wide drying out with the help of a late afternoon breeze. 

If you would like a guided tour of the park with a knowledgeable leader, the Volunteer Rangers conduct walks on the first Sunday of every month. Walks are free and begin at 1 p.m. There are bathrooms and a drinking fountain and a good sized parking lot.

You will see mole hills on the grass. The idea is to leave nature alone. Juanita Bay Park is on land that until the 1970s was a nine-hole golf course. When it ceased to be profitable, there were plans to develop the 110-acre parcel. The city of Kirkland decided to purchase the land and allow it to go back to its natural wetlands ecology. The park is enjoyed by thousands of residents who jog or walk their dogs daily and also by visitors from all around, even traveling friends and relatives of local residents who are visiting Washington state. The park is a perfect model of a wetlands wildlife sanctuary and we are very lucky to have it close enough to enjoy a mini-vacation on a summer day. 

Additional information:

For pictures of what to expect click this:

 http://www.seattle-fun.com/juanita-bay-park.html

Third Tuesday of the month bird walks begin at 8 a.m. in summer.

http://www.kirklandwa.gov/Assets/Parks/Parks+PDFs/Juanita+Bay+Park+Wildlife+Guide.pdf