Green River Natural Area by Flaming Geyser State Park directly accesses O’Grady Park. Past Tukwila, Washington, the river would become the Duwamish River1. Meanwhile, near the southwest by the White River2 is the reservoir of Lake Tapps.
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Green River Natural Area at a Glance
Access: O’Grady Public Access Point (park info)
Round Trip: 8 miles
Elevation Range: 160′-520′
Essential Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-friendly: yes
Playlist: Ethereal
Exploring More of the Green River
As it turned out, several extensive trail networks exist throughout the Green River. It also includes the natural areas between Kanaskat-Palmer and here. But it wasn’t intuitive to know how accessible these places were until I started paying attention.
Another rainy day forecast brought me out near the Muckleshoot Tribe Reservation by the river. Only two other cars were around when I arrived. Randy, with his two adorable Labradors, appeared on the main road as I dipped toward the area of trails.
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Three Bridges Trail to O’Grady Park
I followed Three Bridges Trail before hopping on Miner’s Trail at the third fork. Views were scarce en route, yet peaceful as I soon met a hiker with their dog. The path dipped to the water from the west end, where I peered at the river by the wetland. However, I couldn’t find the shore trail.
After returning to the trees, I reached O’Grady Park via the flat trail in under a mile. Cars could come down here when the upper gate is open. The path slowly rose while slightly rerouting past the bridge and turning north. It then hugged the plateau before dipping west.
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End of the Path in Green River Natural Area
Shortly past the trail bend, Roe, a horserider with her dog and horse Jessie, came around. We chatted for a while before they continued uphill, and then I explored the river area. The route bypassed the vast grassland north of the park before ending by the pebble shore.
One thing that stood out was the absence of down trees throughout the natural area. So, it led me to believe the well-maintained space likely sees lots of traffic during the peak season. After enjoying the views, I soon returned to the park and took the access road to the upper lot.
See more trip photos here.
- Courtesy of Lower Duwamish Waterway Site History. ↩︎
- Courtesy of White River Valley (King County) — Thumbnail History. ↩︎