Lake Youngs Trail

Location: Renton.

Length: 9.5-mile loop trail.

Level of difficulty: Mostly gentle, packed dirt/gravel/old pavement surface, with some moderate hills. Muddy in places after rains.

Setting: Enjoyed by walkers, mountain bikers and equestrians, this suburban trail encircles the fenced-off watershed surrounding the Lake Youngs reservoir. Along the 10-foot-wide trail, enjoy the native forest of big-leaf maples and conifers, plus rhododendrons and roses.

Highlights: The Fairwood area was settled in the late 1880s, largely by Finns who had their own church, school and cemetery. Early settlers made a living as loggers, dairy farmers and coal miners.

The lake was used by local residents as a place to swim, picnic and fish before it became part of the Seattle watershed. In the early 1900s, the Seattle Water District began to pipe water from the Landsburg diversion dam on the Cedar River at Maple Valley up to the lake. From there, the water is treated and piped to Seattle and some of its suburbs.

Facilities: Seasonal vault toilets; restrooms and water at Petrovitsky Park.

Restrictions: No motor vehicles. If you encounter an equestrian, stand quietly to the right of the trail to allow the horse to pass.

Directions: From I-405 heading north, take the first part of Exit 4 and turn right onto Maple Valley Highway (Highway 169). Heading south on I-405, take Exit 4 and take the second left. Drive east several miles, and turn right on 140th Way Southeast. Go up the hill and in 2 miles, turn left on Southeast Petrovitsky Road, and in another 2 miles, turn right on Old Petrovitsky Road. The parking lot is on the left in about a hundred yards.

Cathy McDonald is coauthor with Stephen Whitney of "Nature Walks In and Around Seattle," with photographs by James Hendrickson (The Mountaineers, second edition, 1997).