Hike(-let) of the Week : Twin Ponds Park

We didn't have a ton of time -- so much to do! -- and the weather was pretty miserable. So we pinpointed a park near where we needed to head later in the day and decided to explore there.

I thought I had never been to this park -- though when we were walking around I realized I had been there when the north pond was home to river otters. Still, it was a nice, very brief walk.

We parked on Meridian and entered the park via the Trail of the Cedars.

It was well maintained, level, and dry despite all the rain we had been having. Soon we came into sight of the first pond:

You can tell by the photo just how rainy it was -- absolutely pelting down with rain.

We followed the edge of the lakes, eventually going around the northern lake. The water seems pretty high here...

And eventually went around the soccer field and into a little wooded area called the Arboretum, behind a p-patch and a tennis court. But this was essentially a dead end, so we headed back the way we came.

There's a trail -- we could see it in person, and it was marked on the map -- but it looked pretty overgrown, and I had read that there's a little stream crossing, so we avoided it and skirted the soccer field again.

We walked next to the lakes for a bit.

And then crossed a little "land bridge" between the two of them. Isn't this beautiful?

But all too soon we were back at the Trail of the Cedars and back out to the car -- a very short "hike".

the very wet wildlife

Still, it's the first conscious "let's go out and walk on a trail" of the year, so I'm including it in my 2020 Vision project. They can't all be big treks!!!

Twin Ponds Trail

1.3 miles
43 feet elevation gain