Ronald Bog Park

Location : Shoreline.

Length : About a quarter-mile.

Level of difficulty : Gently rolling grassy lawn with short neighborhood trails.

Setting: This modest park offers a huge grassy lawn that rolls gently down to a small lake. Weeping willows and alders fringe the water, and short trails offer alternate views of the water. Although Interstate 5 is next to the park, the large number of trees makes the interstate heard but not seen.

Judge James Ronald was an early resident in the Shoreline area and the mayor of Seattle in 1892-93. Ronald gave right-of-way through his property for the Interurban rail line, and the station was named for him. He later donated land for a school building, named Ronald School, now the home of the Shoreline Historical Museum (located further west on North 175th Street).

Highlights : The bog is one of the northern headwaters of Thornton Creek and is a rare natural environment. During the natural lifespan of a lake, it fills in over time to become solid land, and a bog is one of these intermediate stages. Bogs are distinguished by peat, composed of layers and layers of plant material that lived and died and were deposited in the lake, and over time, were compacted and altered. This bog was mined for its peat in the 1950s, as evidenced by its squared-off shape on its southern and western sides.

Facilities : None.

Restrictions : Leash and scoop laws in effect; do not feed the waterfowl.

Directions : Although the park is located just off Interstate 5 at the southwest corner of where it intersects with North 175th Street, it's a little awkward to access due to road dividers along North 175th Street. One option is to take Exit 176 (heading north or south), head west on North 176th Street, find a place to turn around near the next intersection (Meridian Avenue North) and head back east. Or, you can get off I-5 at Exit 175, head west on North 145th Street, turn right on Meridian Avenue North, and then turn right on North 175th Street.

For more information : 206-546-5041 or www.cityofshoreline.com/parks or www.historylink.org.

— Cathy McDonald, Special to The Seattle Times

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