White River Trail

Location: Auburn.

Length: Almost 2.5 miles each way.

Level of difficulty: Level-to-gentle paved trail.

Setting: This is an excellent, longer trail to stretch your legs during winter among grassy lawns and open forest (downed trees from the recent windstorm already have been removed). The river is the star of your outing, and a visit last week revealed a robust body of water taking advantage of its broad floodplain. The paved trail is safely above the turbulent waters but offers a close look at the large uprooted trees lying beached on the river's gravel bars (especially visible at Roegner Park).

Highlights: The area's landmarks suggest the river's convoluted history in this very area — why is this called the White River Trail when the road alongside the river is called the Stuck River Road? During a huge 1906 flood, the White River, which once flowed north through the Kent Valley, commandeered the channel of the Stuck River, which flowed south to the Puyallup River to empty into Commencement Bay in Tacoma. For details of this major natural shift — and the human politics that ensured its continuance — visit Auburn's White River Valley Museum.

Facilities: Seasonal restrooms and water with off-season portable toilets; playground at Roegner Park.

Restrictions: Leash and scoop laws in effect.

Directions: From Interstate 5, take Highway 18 east to Auburn and take the Auburn Way/Enumclaw exit. From the exit ramp, turn left on Auburn Way, and in .9 mile, after passing "M" Street, bear right on Howard Road (don't cross the bridge). Turn right on "R" Street, and go 1.2 miles. Immediately after crossing the river, turn left on Stuck River Road, then go .5 mile and turn left into Game Farm Wilderness Park to reach the eastern trailhead (take the left branch to reach the parking lot). To reach the western trailhead in Roegner Park, after crossing over the bridge on R Street, turn right at the next light on Oravetz Road, and in .8 mile, turn right into the park. (To stop in at the White River Valley Museum, turn left in .3 mile after turning left on Auburn Way.)

For more information: 253-931-3043, www.ci.auburn.wa.us or www.wrvmuseum.org.

— Cathy McDonald, Special to The Seattle Times

Renton-based freelancer Cathy McDonald, a former geologist, has written about science and nature travel for 20 years. She's currently a travel guidebook editor at Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door.