Plenty In Nature To See Close To Home -- Looking For Some Getaway Destinations Without Having To Take Out A Second Mortgage To Pay For A Long Trip To Faraway Sights? Here Are Some Of The Opportunities In The South End's Back Yard

-- WEST HYLEBOS WETLANDS STATE PARK: A 70-acre headwater swamp, featuring towering trees, overhanging drapes of moss, peat bogs, shelf fungi and spreads of lichen, and a vast array of ferns - all a few blocks from bustling Pacific Highway South in Federal Way. A circuitous, one-mile boardwalk nature trail winds its way through the park, making it seem much larger than it is. Signs every few feet describe the plants, which include red huckleberry, wood fern, coast red elderberry, red osier, salmonberry, black twinberry, straggly gooseberry, wild roses, swamp violet, swamp laurel, cascara and Pacific dogwood.

From I-5, take exit 142B to South 348th Street. Driving west on 348th, cross Pacific Highway South and after one half-mile turn left onto Fourth Avenue South just before the electrical substation.

-- SOOS CREEK TRAIL: One of the jewels of the King County park system, the trail stretches for four miles northward from Lake Meridian. The creek corridor offers calm amid the hustle and bustle of suburbia and features gentle grades, ideal for bicyclists, roller skaters, walkers and joggers. Most of its length is paralleled by a dirt horse trail. A wetlands delight with trail bridges and a creek that winds through grassy marshes, around ponds and along forested hillsides, it's the perfect outing for an amateur naturalist.

The Soos Creek Trail can be reached from any of the roads that cross Big Soos Creek between Lake Meridian and Southeast 208th Street. Three trailheads have parking lots and restrooms: Southeast 208th Street near 136th Avenue Southeast; 148th Avenue Southeast near Southeast 249th Street; and 148th Avenue Southeast at Southeast 266th Street. The park is open from dawn till dusk.

-- MIMA MOUNDS: They've been called the "million mounds," the "pimpled plains" and the "baffling bumps." They remain a mystery despite more than 150 years of study. The enigmatic earthen mounds of rich, black soil - many seven feet high and 40 feet across - once dotted 30,000 acres of prairie in Thurston and Lewis counties. Early white explorers thought the mounds were built by Indians. Scientific explanations for the mounds' origin range from gophers to seismic activity, erosion or glaciation. The Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve is open daylight hours seven days a week.

Heading south on I-5, take Exit 95 and drive west on Highway 121 to Littlerock. Continue straight on 128th Avenue Southwest to Waddell Creek Road and turn right. The preserve entrance is on the left after about a mile.

-- RHODODENDRON SPECIES FOUNDATION GARDEN, AND THE PACIFIC RIM BONSAI COLLECTION: Twenty-four acres of lush gardens at Weyerhauser's wooded corporate headquarters in Federal Way. Yellow, shocking pink, mauve and scarlet flowers and budded plants of all shapes and sizes. Tours are available 1 p.m. Sundays. It's more quiet midweek. Maps are available. Blooming season is March through May. Summer and early fall feature the foliage of oak, maple and the other shrubs and trees.

Admission: $2 juniors and seniors, $2.50 adult general admission. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Open Saturday through Wednesday in summer, Sunday-Wednesday in winter.

Take Exit 142A off Interstate 5. Go east on Highway 18. Turn north onto 32nd Avenue South, then watch for Weyerhaeuser Way signs (661-9377).

-- W.W. SEYMOUR BOTANICAL CONSERVATORY: One of the crown jewels of downtown Tacoma, the Victorian-style botanical conservatory in Wright Park features more than 200 species of exotic plants, flowers and trees inside a greenhouse. The American Wonder Lemon Tree bears lemons nearly the size of cantaloupes. Azaleas, poinsettia, and bird of paradise flowers explode in rich oranges, reds, pinks and greens. Fig trees, rubber trees and palm trees show off intricate patterns that only nature can duplicate.

W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory is at 316 G St. S. Driving south on Interstate 5, take the Interstate 705 spur to downtown Tacoma. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. daily, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission is free (591-5330).

-- FORT STEILACOOM PARK/WAUGHOP LAKE: The scent of dry grass, grains, fir, cedar, fallen apples and sea air drifted about in this windswept 356-acre park in Steilacoom, which in 1854 was the first Washington Territory settled. A fort in the park was abandoned in 1868. A cozy lake is inhabitated by ducks, geese and eagles. Willows and cottonwoods line the lake. Fort Steilacoom Park/Waughop Lake is at 8714 87th Ave. S.W. (Steilacoom Boulevard at Elwood Drive). Take Exit 127 (Puyallup-Pacific Lutheran University-Mount Rainier) off Interstate 5. Turn right onto South Tacoma Way. Drive one mile. Turn left (west) onto Steilacoom Boulevard. Drive west five miles. The park is on the left, almost directly across from Western State Hospital. Hours: Dawn to dusk daily.

-- LAKE FENWICK: Almost a stone's throw from traffic-choked Interstate 5 in Kent, a backwoods road slides through a forested glen and along this sleepy little lake and quiet park. To get there the road bends and turns through a tunnel of trees and large ferns. A cottage here and there complements the idilyic scene. Soon you're smack-dab inside one of those old paintings of a dense forest that beckons schoolbound youngsters to slip down to the lake and hang their feet off the dock.

Take Interstate 5 to the South 272nd Street exit and turn east on South 272nd. Travel past the Victorian Ridge development on the crest of the hill and turn left onto Lake Fenwick Road.

-- THE MUSEUM OF FLIGHT: Explaining birds, bees, bats, balloons and the B-17 are the mission of this South Seattle museum. Exhibits represent every phase of the brief history of powered flight and offer a loving tribute to classic flying machines and the magnificent men and women who flew them. Among the highlights are an elegant 1929 Boeing 80A trimotor that carried its 18 passengers in style, sporting a mahogany interior, wall-mounted reading lamps, plush seats and a lavatory. Also on display, among other aircraft, is a stubby DC-3, the Allied workhorse of World War II.

The Museum of Flight, 9404 E. Marginal Way S. (southwest corner of Boeing Field), Seattle. From Interstate 5, take Exit 158 and turn right onto East Marginal Way South. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission: Adults (16 and over), $5; students (ages 6-15), $3; children under 6, free. Group rate (10 people or more), $4 (764-5720).

-- GOG-LE-HI-TE WETLAND: A 9.5-acre preserve of land, marsh and water alongside the Puyallup River near Commencement Bay, the marsh grass and cattails feature a multitude of fauna. Pink, chum, coho and chinook salmon, as well as steelhead trout and flatfish visit. Red-winged blackbirds, rock dove, western grebe, savannah sparrows and American widgeons, and ducks and gulls can be seen. A red fox also roams.

Take I-5 toward Tacoma, off on Exit 136. Go north on the Port of Tacoma Road, then turn left on Lincoln Avenue. The preserve is about a mile away on the east side of the road (383-5841).

-- FLAMING GEYSER: The actual flame is more like a Bic, but the recreation area, part of the Green River Gorge State Park Conservation Area, is known for its unspoiled wilderness. A 12-mile corridor along the Green River, the area is for day use. Activities include picnicking, volleyball, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, inner-tubing and fishing. Sizable kitchen shelters are available, and groups of up to 200 can reserve picnic areas. All of the grounds are well-maintained and patrolled. Trails, ranging from a tenth of a mile, to about a mile and a half, feature beautiful woods, dense and green. Animals you might spot include deer, black bear, raccoons and beaver.

Flaming Geyser Recreation Area, 23700 S.E., Flaming Geyser Road, Auburn. Take Southeast Green Valley Road - it's well-marked - from State Highway 169. You can get to Highway 169 from Interstate 405 from the north. Or you can take State Highway 18 to the Green Valley Road or Highway 169 if you're coming from the south.

-- WRIGHT PARK: As municipal parks go, this Tacoma sight is one of the lushest, most pastoral in Washington state. A retreat within the city, it evokes slow walks and restful contemplation, but it's also alive with year-round activity. The park includes walking paths, a basketball court, playground, duck pond, wading pool and huge greenhouse in a Victorian-style home. Lawn bowling, which goes on year-round, is a major activity.

If you're coming north of Tacoma on I-5, take Exit 133 to City Center, follow the signs to 705 North, take the Stadium Way exit, right on Stadium Way to Division, left on Division to the park (591-3690).

-- DES MOINES MARINA: Forget the boat; stroll on foot along the marina docks and check out the boats. Linger and watch marina crews operate the cranes that lift boats in and out of the water. Check out the day's catch by men and women fishing at the end of a 670-foot pier. Signs along the pier tell about the artificial reef the city constructed below - out of old tires, toilets and barges - that attracts fish. If you're a fishing novice, you'll find helpful signs along the marina telling how to clean and fillet your catch. At the north end of the marina, this marina stroll turns into a woodsy beach walk. Following Cliff Avenue will lead you into Des Moines Beach Park, a former Bible camp called Covenant Beach, that the city and other agencies turned into a relaxing picnic area and senior-citizen complex.

If you go: Take Interstate 5 to the Kent-Des Moines Road (Highway 516) exit, go west along Kent-Des Moines Road into Des Moines and turn left on South 227th Street to reach the Des Moines Marina's south parking area.

-- RENTON COMMUNITY CENTER: A $4.2 million center featuring fields for volleyball, soccer, softball, picnic tables and a wading area in a sandy man-made nook in the Cedar River near Carco Theatre. Indoor activities include weights, stationary bikes, basketball (in two full-size gyms), badminton, pickleball and volleyball. Weight-room admission is $3, $2 for senior citizens.

The Renton Community Center, 1715 Maple Valley Highway. Take Interstate 405 to Exit 4; head east on the Maple Valley Highway. Hours: Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (235-2560).

-- MILL CREEK CANYON EARTHWORKS PARK: The multi-level, 105.3-acre park can be appreciated when viewed from above its perimeter roads, as well as from within, on the pathways, lawns, wooden steps and bridges. One of the best times to go, to experience the park in relative solitude, is on a gray or even a misty midmorning. You can wander along the creek in the densely wooded ravine. Open daily, 6 a.m. to dusk (summer hours).

Take the Kent exit from Interstate 5 onto Highway 516 eastbound. In Kent, turn left onto South Central Avenue. Drive to Smith Street. Turn right on Smith. Drive three blocks to East Titus Street, then turn right. Follow signs (859-3350).

-- BUCKLEY: An unspoiled American small town in the tradition of the "Andy Griffith Show's" Mayberry, N.C. With a population of 3,000, Buckley is situated along railroad tracks 30 miles southeast of Tacoma. It's a no-frills 1882 timber town (first named Perkins' Prairie and then White River Siding) and offers hours of quiet enchantment.

Buckley is three miles southwest of Enumclaw on Highway 410. If you go via Auburn, stay on Auburn Way South, which curves east to become the Auburn-Enumclaw Road Southeast; turn right (south) at Cole Street in Enumclaw and drive about three miles to Buckley. If you go via Puyallup-Sumner, head east from there on Highway 410.

-- LAKEWOLD GARDENS: The private Tacoma estate on 10 exotic, yet naturalistically planted acres, on the west shore of Gravelly Lake is touted as "Where the Blue Poppies Grow." Beyond the ornate ironwork gates, you drive on a winding road among fir, rhododendron, madrona, cedar, salal and Japanese maple. Pathways branch out to glades, waterfalls, and to a scree, alpine-garden and rock garden overlooking a lake.

Lakewold Gardens is next to the junction of Gravelly Lake Drive and Veterans Drive, Lakewood District in southwest Tacoma. Guided tours, by reservation only, are from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays through Saturdays. $4-$5 per person (584-3360).

-- DASH POINT STATE PARK: Beachcombing, a hike in the woods, kid-appeasing playgrounds and expansive views of Tacoma's Commencement Bay and East Passage along this waterfront sight a couple miles west of Federal Way. Hikers should follow either Markham Road or Soundview Drive down and reverse the route for the trip back (allow 20-25 minutes for the return). You'll wend your way past old beach bungalows and newer view homes, many with intimate gardens and decks, all overlooking the park and its long fishing pier.

If you're coming from Seattle, take Interstate 5, exit at South 272nd Street, go west to Pacific Highway South and then south about 1.5 miles to south-bound Highway 509. Or if you're coming north from Tacoma on I-5, take the South 320th Street exit, go west to Pacific Highway, then north to South 312th Street, and travel west until you hit Highway 509 south. Follow this road about 5.5 miles along Federal Way's waterfront.

-- ISAAC EVANS CITY PARK: Walk along the banks of a river swollen with silt, savor the smells rising off blackberry brambles and feel the warmth of the sun on the damp soil at the bases of old cottonwoods at this 20-acre Auburn park. Named for a turn-of-the-century pioneer settler, Evans Park's appeal is tripled by its connection to two other city parks. A footbridge across the river at the park's south end links it with Dykstra Park, which has playground apparatus for children. And a bridge spanning the river to the north joins Evans with Brannan Park, 23 acres with large open spaces and athletic fields, tennis courts and picnic facilities. Isaac Evans City Park, 29800 S.E. Green River Road. Open dawn to dusk daily. No admission or reservations required. Restroom facilities, parking, picnic facilities, footpaths and benches.

How to get there: Going south on Highway 167 from Kent, take the Willis Street Exit. At Willis, turn left (east). Drive to South Central Avenue and then turn right (south). Go to South 259th Street, and turn left (east). Continue three miles. Park is on your right.

-- RUSTON: This small community just northwest of Tacoma offers antiques, animals, scenic drives, water sports, rock 'n' roll and more. From downtown you're literally in sight of Point Defiance. There you'll find the zoo, aquarium, Japanese gardens, Owens Beach, the boathouse, the bathhouse and Camp 6 - a logging-camp exhibit. Picnic grounds abound. If you want to stay in your car, you can travel the Five Mile Drive. It's lush and beautiful.

Take Interstate 5 to Tacoma, get off at Interstate 705 northbound and take the Shuster Parkway turnoff. Once past the city, you'll travel along the south side of Commencement Bay on Ruston Way.

-- BURIEN PARK: A mini-forest park wedged between an art gallery and library, with shops and even a community center nearby. The unique, bowl-shaped forest is a dream woods for both adventurous children and safety-conscious parents.

Youngsters can romp through the tall Douglas firs following dozens of spoke-like paths that reach out from a circular stone bench at the hub.

A parent can easily survey the whole park from the stone-bench seating area or even from the library parking lot to the west. Volunteers from the Burien Arts Association staff the 15-year-old gallery. The Burien Arts Gallery is at 421 S.W. 146th St.

From Interstate 5, take state Highway 518 west to Southwest 148th Street; drive west on 148th about three blocks; turn north onto Fourth Avenue southwest; drive one long block; turn left onto Southwest 146th Street and then into parking area in front of the blue cottage. Hours: Noon to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays (244-7808).