[Ski]

Swan Creek Park / Swan Creek Trail 11-11-14 Low elevation urban dayhike. Total trail length: ± 4.0 mi. Max. elevation gain: ± 380 ft. Swan Creek Park, totalling 373 acres, is jointly owned by MetroParks Tacoma and Pierce County. After a long and rather interesting history, the first trail was completed in 1985. MetroParks Tacoma shows the address as Roosevelt & East 42nd Street, which is at the top of the hill where the new mountain bike trails were recently completed. The Swan Creek Trail begins at the bottom end of the Park, at 2820 Pioneer Way East, about 200 feet west of Waller Road East. The Swan Creek Trail, 2.38 miles in length, passes by a detention pond at the lower end of the creek, and very gradually ascends up the canyon for about the first half mile.

swan_creek_topo

The trail then climbs up along the west side of the canyon a couple hundred feet above the creek, through second-growth forest of Douglas Fir, Red Alder, Big Leaf Maple, and Western Red Cedar.

Traversing up the side of the canyon, the trail drops down again to the creek, and after many ups and downs climbs to the top of the canyon to an access point at the east end of East 56th Street.

When I last visited the Park two years ago the "You Are Here" signs looked as though they'd been recently installed. It seems some knucklehead thought it would be a good idea to remove the little red dots from all of them, so while the maps may be of some help, the viewer will have no idea where "here" is. If one pays careful attention, a glimpse can be had of the majestic peak of Mount Tucci on the far side of the canyon rim.

There are two other "primary" hiking trails in the Park: the "Canyon Rim Trail" is 1.18 miles in length, and the "Lister Overlook Trail" is .33 miles in length. The Swan Creek Trail seems to be enough to get the endorphins pumping. On the way home I stopped at Northern Fish at the foot of McCarver on Ruston Way for a little treat.

got salmon?

Scorecard: dead tires in the creek: 2 old chaise lounges in the creek: 1 out-of-control off-leash dogs: 5 All that aside, the light was great. The wind was knocking a lot of stuff down out of the maples, which made things interesting. And they managed to get most of the graffiti off the footbridge.

[Grey Heckel]

When I was a kid (12-14 yrs), that creek was known as Bummer's Creek, named for the bums who were spill over from the old Hollywood on the Flats (homeless acres until someone burned them out with a massive fire in the late 40's) just across the Puyallup River. I used to hike it many days when my parents visited my aunt and uncle on McKinley Hill nearby. Always TRYING TO CATCH A FISH IN IT WITH NO LUCK.

[Ski]

Hollywood on the Flats was still populated when I was a kid! Those guys were still down there when I was in high school in the early 70s. Amazing to hear that term from somebody else... it was what Grandma and Grandpa called the place.... they lived on east 28th & K until they built the freeway... right across the street from one of the lower entrances to McKinley Park.

[Bloated Chipmunk]

I think I went there once ages ago & was turned off by seeing some homeless peeps or evidence thereof. Looks like some parts of it are nice though.

[flatsqwerl]

I keep going down there hoping to see the salmon making their way in.

[flatsqwerl]

Today I spotted some salmon coming in .

[Ski]

really? above the detention pond?

[flatsqwerl]

yes, definitely. Big fish too. A few dead ones already. I did not see any 2 days ago. One had made it pretty far through some tough swift rapids and log/stick jams.

[Ski]

had to go take a look for myself.

short video clip

[Ski]

just had to have another look... lot of fish...

fish story video (the rumbling in the first segment of the video is the train.)