Make 2022 a Year Outside

What do you think of when you hear “go outside”? Do you think of long summer days spent near a body of water? Low-lying fog intertwined with the layers of the forest? Maybe you think about taking a walk down a city street or sitting on your front porch enjoying a sunset.

Why do you go outside? To take a mental break? A physical break? Maybe even a sitting break? Maybe you step outside to see which birds are in the garden or breathe in the fresh air.

Who do you go outside with? Family? Friends? Or maybe you retreat to nature to have some much-needed alone time.

No matter what “go outside” means to you, a stroll on a Capitol Land Trust trail can reveal the natural beauty of the world in any season.

Capitol Land Trust owns and manages four preserves complete with signage and nature trails where schools, youth-serving organizations, and individual community members come to find reprieve and learn about the natural world. By creating broader opportunities to learn about and experience our natural environment, we build a stronger and more diverse community that cares about and supports conservation.

What are these preserves like? First, it is important to mention that there is no fee or pass required to visit a Capitol Land Trust public-access preserve. Each preserve has a designated parking lot and a welcome kiosk. Like a snowflake, each preserve is unique in the experience they offer.

Randall Preserve is a small piece of land connected to a larger conservation story in lower Eld Inlet, also known as Mud Bay. This preserve features a 560-foot-long interpretive trail complete with a viewpoint overlooking the water. Stop and sit awhile at the viewpoint’s bench. Is the tide coming in our going out?

Gaze across Eld Inlet and Highway 101 for a glimpse at a huge bald eagle’s nest. Along the mulched trail visitors can learn about the cultural legacy of Eld Inlet to the Squaxin people, the plants and animals that live here, and the restoration that has brought the land to where it is today.

Moving further out of town to the southwest, Darlin Creek Preserve awaits your discovery. Conserved in 2016, the preserve features just over three miles of nature trails that weave through wetlands and a recovering upland forest.

As you stroll along, try engaging all your senses. Your ears may pick up the sound of a barking Douglas squirrel or, in the spring, the rapid drumming of a ruffed grouse.

Your eyes may notice several beaver dams around the preserve and your nose may catch a whiff of Douglas fir sap and needles. There’s even an edible native berry or two along the way! Darlin Creek Preserve has three benches along the Wetland Forest Loop Trail (one of these is also along the Lake Loop Trail) and several fun bridge crossings.

Moving north to Shelton we can find Hilburn and Bayshore preserves. Hilburn Preserve sits along Goldsborough Creek, the largest freshwater tributary to Oakland Bay. Often called a “coho factory,” Goldsborough Creek supports a variety of wildlife. North America’s only truly aquatic songbird, the American dipper can be seen “dipping” along the banks of the creek in its never-ending search for aquatic bugs.

The half-mile loop trail meanders along Goldsborough Creek and through an upland forest. Take a break at one of the three benches built and installed by students from CHOICE High School.

Last but certainly not least, Bayshore Preserve can be found on the western shore of Oakland Bay. Bayshore Preserve conserves the lower reaches and estuary of Johns Creek, huge Garry oak trees, and an expansive salt marsh.

An important area to the Squaxin people, the land was formerly used as a golf course. Bayshore Preserve has been enjoying its recovery to a nature preserve since Capitol Land Trust purchased it in 2014. The mile and a half trail system highlights the restoration work done by community volunteers of all ages. Visit in the fall for fun chum salmon viewing!

Before you visit one of these preserves, review Leave No Trace’s Seven Principles that can help improve everyone’s outdoor experience and keeps natural areas wild.

Many thanks to our volunteers who help us monitor and maintain these special places. Learn more about visiting a Capitol Land Trust public-access preserve here!

Enjoy these free days at other natural areas:

• National Parks
  • Monday, January 17 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • Saturday, April 16 – First Day of National Park Week
  • Thursday, August 4 – Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
  • Saturday, September 24 – National Public Lands Day
  • Friday, November 11 – Veterans Day
• Washington State Parks and lands managed by Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and Washington Department of Natural Resources (these are lands visitors normally need a Discover Pass to visit)
  • Saturday, January 1 – New Year’s Day
  • Monday, January 17 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • Wednesday, March 9 – Billy Frank Jr.’s birthday
  • Saturday, March 19 – Washington State Parks’ birthday
  • Friday, April 22 – Earth Day
  • Saturday, June 11 – National Get Outdoors Day
  • Sunday, June 12 – Free Fishing Weekend
  • Sunday, June 19 – Juneteenth
  • Saturday, Sept. 24 – National Public Lands Day
  • Monday, October 10 – World Mental Health Day
  • Friday, November 11 – Veterans Day
  • Friday, November 25 – Native American Heritage Day
• National Wildlife Refuges
  • Monday, January 17 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • Monday, February 21 – Presidents Day
  • Sunday, June 19 – Juneteenth
  • Thursday, August 4 – Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
  • Saturday, Sept. 24 – National Public Lands Day
  • Sunday, October 9 – First Sunday of National Wildlife Refuge Week
  • Friday, November 11 – Veterans Day