The Wilderness Next Door

It’s Sunday afternoon, and the rain is absolutely pouring as I drive down the freeway in my bright red 4Runner. It’s unusual rain for Seattle, as our rain usually comes in drips and drops, instead of like a faucet. Often you can just wait for a few minutes and it will stop, but on this day, it seems like the rain is just going and going and going. It’s difficult to see the cars in front of me on the freeway, and I’m relieved when I finally get off the freeway and onto the side streets. It’s there my mind drifts from the concern of dying in a fiery car crash to more practical issue: why the hell am I going for a hike in this weather?

I pull into a place I’ve been to hundreds of times: Lord Hill Regional Park, a gem of Snohomish County on 1,463 acres tucked on a hill in between Snohomish and Monroe. Lord Hill is really Snohomish County’s wilderness next door, and for most people in South Snohomish County where I live, it’s a 30 minute drive or less to get there. As the name implies, the park straddles a large hill. The landscape is mostly forest with plenty of streams and even a few lakes, and it provides a very welcome wilderness sanctuary from the surrounding urban sprawl. Miles of trails cross the park and offer something for everyone. Not only are hikers and walkers welcome here, but so are bikes, dogs, and equestrians.

For me, the draw to Lord Hill is the combination of proximity and variety, and that’s why I don’t mind visiting on such a rainy day. I can quickly get to the park, hike for a few hours, and get home in plenty of time to get warmed back up for dinner. I find it fun to visit again and again, choosing different weather conditions, coming with and without my family and friends, and exploring different trails. There’s always something different to see or do, and I’m never gone for long. Sure, the landscape might not be awe inspiring like a trail in the North Cascades or something, but for me that doesn’t really matter, because it’s about getting outside and being out in nature, and being able to fit that in around the rest of my schedule.

I’m not alone in my affinity for this place, or other places like it. Each time I visit, I run into others that are doing much the same as me, dipping into the wilderness for an hour or two or more. It’s fun to think about what brought people out to the park that day. Are they training for a big hike, run, or bike trail? Are they taking their dog or horse out for some exercise? Are they catching up with friends or family as they walk? Are they just looking for some calm in their otherwise busy day? I think places like Lord Hill are beautiful in their own right precisely because they offer so much to so many people who happen to live just next door.

The images in this post were shot over multiple visits to Lord Hill in early 2022, in weather conditions ranging from sun to rain to snow to fog and everything in between. I hope you enjoy!