SEATTLE — It looks like remote wilderness. Sounds like one too. But to get to this trail, you drive through Seattle – Rainier Beach to be exact.
"We are actually in Seattle at the very southern border of the city near Renton,” says hiking guidebook author Craig Romano. "Rainier Avenue is a half a mile away, it's amazing where we are right now."
Dead Horse Canyon is one of the 45 hikes in Romano's newest guide Urban Trails Seattle.
"A lot of people don't realize what's in their own backyard. And Seattle's got an incredible park system,” said Romano as he set off down the short trail.
This place got its name from the area's log mill past - a 'dead horse' is logger-speak for fallen timber that was never harvested. But there's plenty of lumber still standing in this canyon. Romano pointed out a mighty Douglas fir that might be old growth or at least second growth.
“Wow, obviously the loggers left that one behind."
You'll find a strange structure, "It's a rare Seattle Kiva!” joked Romano. Actually no. It’s a moss-covered sewer line access.
You'll also the rusted remains of an old sawmill, slowly being reclaimed by mother nature.
Amid the beauty, a somber note. A marker dedicated to Susanna Cooper Stodden, who was murdered, with her mother, while hiking on the Pinnacle Lake trail off Mountain Loop Highway in 2006.
The case remains unsolved. But Stodden, an outdoor advocate, helped build this urban trail.
“She was responsible, with the friends of Dead Horse Canyon, for restoring this park. So we owe her a lot,” said Romano as he paused on the bench next to the marker.
This 1-mile roundtrip trail in Lakeridge Park is one of Romano’s picks because of its abundance of natural beauty in an unexpected place.
Top urban hike number two is any trail in Discovery Park: "It's the largest park in the city, more than 12 miles of trails. I'm a history buff too, it's part of Fort Lawton, there are historic homes there, and there's a lighthouse, one of the oldest lighthouses on Puget Sound. Beautiful Beach also.”
Urban hike number three? Washington Park Arboretum. Romano says he may be partial to this park because it reminds him of his New England roots: "Some of the best foliage that you're gonna see in Seattle is in the Washington Park Arboretum."
Next time you need an escape from the city, consider one of the urban trails in Romano’s guide. You might be able to get away from it all -- and barely leave your own back yard.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.