"Hartman Park Trails" - a city gem unveiled

For years, a select group of Education Hill neighbors have walked their dogs and hiked the network of forested dirt trails surrounding Hartman Park wetlands. Quite a few residents tried to keep this informal park "gem" to themselves. It's a peaceful, quiet, cool, lush forested area and so convenient to the surrounding neighbors. Yes, the trails could get muddy. Other than that, it was a neighborhood paradise.

The Parks Department finally discovered these trails and "our secret". "Hartman Park Trails" are now cedar-chipped and are marked with about 8 trail signs. I don't know what took them so long. My guess is the new joint Parks & Trails Commission is working together better and so took action. It's even remotely possible the recent Black Bear sightings in these woods prompted action. (I feel a little safer hiking the trails now they are "developed" by the city.) The nearby BMX dirt bike course has brought additional traffic near these trails, too.

Anyway, have fun! The trails are easy to access from at least 6-7 trailheads. The trails' "backbone" is Ashford Trail, a.k.a. Perrigo Woods Trail. It's a pervious, crushed gravel trail which mountain bikers sometimes use to "cut across town". The trail starts from the terminus of NE 100 St. near the Mormon Church almost a mile down the hill to Avondale Road. A good scenic resting point is Perrigo Springs (Historical Marker) near the water tower.

Children living in Lookout Ridge and Perrigo Heights can easitly walk to school from Perrigo Woods Trail to RHS and RJH. Any number of the .25 - .50 mile Hartman Park Trails will get them to their classes and homes -- faster and more peacefully than by car! Might even see a Western Red Squirrel or Heron on the way....

The Harman Park Trails can be accessed from the Fields #5 & #6 adjacent the restrooms. They can also me accessed from the neighborhoods bordering 176th Ave. NE. and 172nd Ave. NE.

The Parks Department defines trail users with a "backpacker" and "bicyclist" ICON. Dog walkers are probably welcome. I'm guessing the X-country teams run through here, though I haven't seen any. I've never seen a bicyclist on these curvy, narrow trails. None of the trails are listed "A.D.A. approved.". The cedar chipped trails smell fresh are very nice and may control the mud issue. I don't know who installed the chips.

Comment: I hope the city will use cedar chipped trails for riparian pathways in the Eastern Corridor Parks. I'm glad the city is not black-topping Ashford Trail and pray they won't black-topped on the backbone trails of the planned Eastern Corridor Parks. Black-top "trails" are more like service roads. They are more invasive and unnatural and unbefitting of the rural, riparian parklands of the Eastern Corridor. (Anderson, Conrad Olsen, Perrigo, F-M, Juel parks)