Enjoy the summer at Renton’s parks, trails

With the official start of summer beginning June 21, here is a highlight of some trails, parks and walks in the community. Renton has over 30 parks that cover more than 445 acres. Within these parks are six trails that combine for 10 miles.

This guide of parks rates the spaces out of a total of 25 points. Rated factors are the pathway quality; surrounding scenery; location, accessibility and parking; interactive features at the parks; and how family-friendly the park is.

Cedar River Trail and Park (901 Nishiwaki Ln, Renton, WA 98057)

Overall Score: 22/25

Path Quality: 4

Surrounding Scenery: 5

Location Accessibility, Parking: 3

Interactive: 5

Family Friendly: 5

The Cedar Park Trail is a great place to take family and enjoy a short or long walk around the great scenery. It is located off Logan Ave and sits nestled right between Boeing’s Renton Facility and the Renton Municipal Airport and goes right up to the southernmost tip of Lake Washington.

There is a shorter Cedar River Trail Park that has a playground and interactive brochure for kids to learn about the life cycle of a Salmon and play nature hide and seek. For adults, the winding river and air traffic provide good sights as well as walking past Renton Memorial Stadium and two adult jungle gyms.

If you aren’t satisfied with the short walk at the park, the Cedar River Trail continues all the way to Liberty Park which is the trailhead for an extended and paved 17.2 Mile trail that goes all the way to Maple Valley.

Gene Coulon Park (201 Lake Washington Blvd N, Renton, WA 98056)

Overall Score: 22

Path Quality: 4

Surrounding Scenes: 4

Location, Accessibility, Parking: 5

Interactive: 5

Family Friendly: 4

If you want to go out to explore and feel like you’re on a hike, I think Gene Coulon will be perfect once construction is finished. Tucked away a few miles northeast of the Landing sits a park that is great for community events. There is much to do ranging from multiple sand volleyball pits to a beach, Kid Valley and Ivars provide great food and tennis courts create a lot of opportunities of enjoyment for community members.

There is construction on the north end of the park which will extend the trail and people will be able to walk a little further. For those with little ones, the park is very open. There are lots of lines of sight from the beach to the parking lot and the paths are all well-maintained.

Parking and access to the park’s features are as easy as can be. There are spots all over, but on those hot summer days GCP could be a popular spot.

Springbrook Trail (1120 Monster Road SW, Renton, WA 98057)

Overall Score: 18/25

Path Quality: 5

Surrounding Scenery:4

Location, Accessibility, Parking: 2

Interactive: 2

Family Friendly: 5

Right off of Monster Road in Renton lies the Black River Riparian Forest along with three trails. The trail is swallowed by high grass and shrubs that take away the feeling of being in a populated city area. The path is well-maintained and is easy to navigate.

The one issue is parking, there is a small little inlet off of the side of the road. IF there are more than three to four cars, it may get difficult to get out of that area. There are also three trailheads with not the best signage. But the Springbrook Trail itself has a sign to show where the trail starts.

There is about a mile and a half of trail that goes along a small creek, and then all of a sudden it comes to an end. Without signs or arrows or any indication, you pop out at SW Grady Way and Oaksdale Avenue SW. However, if one crosses Gray Way and continues the trail will go on for just over a half mile.