Duvall's McCormick Park

Location: Duvall.

Length: About a half-mile loop; connects with the 36-mile Snoqualmie Valley Trail.

Level of difficulty: Level-to-gentle crushed gravel trail.

Setting: This lovely riverside park created in 1999 highlights the beauty and historical heritage of the Carnation Valley. Located on the floodplain of the Snoqualmie River, it embraces several meanders of the river and accesses a sandy beach. The river sustains wild runs of many different kinds of salmon, including one of the largest wild runs of coho in the Northwest.

Short trails loop around a meadow, and connect to the south with the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, a rails-to-trails path on the old railbed of the Great Northern Railroad and the Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railroad (the trail ends several blocks to the north). You'll pass by the old Great Northern train depot as you head toward the river from the parking lot.

Highlights: Interpretive signs describe the valley's railroad history and salmon ecology, and feature old photos and maps of the area. In the late 1800s, ferries provided access across the river; the first ferry route ran just to the north of the park at the location of the Woodinville-Duvall bridge. Check out the marks on a pole in the meadow that note the water levels reached here during record flood years. Marshes in the park offer refuge for ducks, beavers and river otters. On a recent visit, red-winged blackbirds trilled in preparation for spring courting. This may be one of the safest trailheads in the county — the Duvall police station shares the parking lot with the park.

Facilities: Portable toilet.

Restrictions: Leash and scoop laws in effect.

Directions: From Main Street (Highway 203) in downtown Duvall, four blocks south of the Woodinville-Duvall Road bridge, turn west on Northeast Stephens Street and drive down into the parking lot.

Bus: Metro Route 232 goes by the park. 206-553-3000 or transit.metrokc.gov.

For more information: 206-296-8687 or visit www.metrokc.gov/parks/trails/.

— Cathy McDonald, Special to The Seattle Times

Cathy McDonald, a Renton-based freelance writer, is a regular contributor to Northwest Weekend.