Soos Creek Regional Trail

Location: Kent.

Length: More than 7 miles.

Level of difficulty: Level to moderately rolling, wide paved trail. Be careful when crossing intersecting streets.

Setting: This tranquil regional trail runs along the spine of Kent's East Hill among the wetlands of Soos Creek, an active salmon-spawning stream. The trail runs past the backyards of some suburban neighborhoods, but offers a semirural feel through an area with a rich history.

The creek's name comes from the Skopamish Indian name for a village once located where the stream joins the Green River to the south. The land was logged at the end of the 19th century and later sold to settlers, many of them Finns who worked as local loggers or in the coal mines of Newcastle and Black Diamond. At their homesteads along Soos Creek, they raised chickens and dairy cows.

Highlights: The trail winds through a variety of habitats, including cattail marshes, meadows of wild Nootka roses and upland forests. The trail was recently extended more than a mile north of Gary Grant Park, with part of the surface built on an elevated deck to protect wetlands and minimize interference with wildlife. Many animals live in this area, including a wide variety of birds. Various types of owls live in the area — in February and March, two guided late-night "owl prowls" offer a rare chance to look and listen for these nocturnal residents (the free walks fill fast — see the Friends of Soos Creek Web site, below, for details).

Facilities: Portable toilet at midway trailhead in winter; seasonal restrooms and water at Gary Grant and Lake Meridian parks.

Restrictions: Leash and scoop laws in effect.

Directions: From Highway 167 in Kent, exit at South 212th Street, and head east up a long hill (street becomes Southeast 208th Street). After you cross 132nd Avenue Southeast, the Gary Grant Park trailhead is five blocks ahead on the left. Additional parking is farther south at 145th Avenue Southeast between Southeast 240th Street and Southeast 256th Street, and at the Lake Meridian parking lot off Kent-Kangley Road on 152nd Way Southeast.

Bus: Metro Route 168 runs by the trail's Lake Meridian trailhead. 206-553-3000 or http://transit.metrokc.gov.

For more information: Call 206-296-4232 or see www.metrokc.gov/parks/trails or http://friendsofsooscreekpark.wetpaint.com.

— 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. Contact her: nwwriter@hotmail.com.