There's a temporary detour you might want to know about on the "Fauntleroy and Morgan Junction" stairway walk (Chapter 16). When the route reaches the North Beach Trail, it normally heads down the bluff. But when we were there a few days ago, here's what confronted us:
After calling up the maintenance folks at Lincoln Park, we learned the North Beach Trail was closed because of a small slide near the top, caused by the heavy March rains. A Parks engineer recently ok'd trail clearing and repair, so the North Beach Trail is expected to re-open by the end of the week.
Meanwhile, there are a couple of fun options in case the trail is still closed when you get there, or just for some variety. One of them involves turning south, instead of north, onto the trail that runs along the edge of the bluff overlooking Puget Sound. This takes you directly away from the top of the North Beach Trail. You'll eventually reach the top of another trail that runs down the side of bluff, simply called the "Beach Trail," pictured below:
The Beach Trail goes most of the way down the bluff, ending at a T-junction just above Colman Pool. Turn left at the junction to angle more gradually downhill, and you'll soon wind up near the beach. Turn north past Colman Pool and continue north a half mile or more along the wide, sometimes busy, mixed-use path next to the beach. You'll rejoin the original stairway walk route just past the bottom of the North Beach Trail. This detour extends your route by almost a mile because of the wide swing south, but it's a truly beautiful option.
Unlike the North Beach Trail, which traverses a part of the bluff covered mostly by deciduous trees, the Beach Trail winds down among mostly coniferous trees with a shaded, deep-green understory. Here's a shot of Cathy enjoying the alternative Beach Trail route:
Another option skips the bluff face entirely, but in return you get a chance to explore the completely charming, off-the-beaten-path neighborhood just north of Lincoln Park. Take the original route as far as the currently closed North Beach Trail but instead of walking down the bluff, find the nearby trail heading east, away from the bluff, and parallel to the north border of Lincoln Park. You'll walk a short way, with a maintenance yard on your right, and soon you'll spy a street-end through the trees on your left. Go for it!
Take this street - Wright Avenue SW - straight north, just to the point where it starts to bend left (turning into SW Ledroit Place). Stay straight ahead, ducking into a "secret" ribbed concrete walkway that descends fairly steeply down to Lincoln Parkway SW. From there, make your way downhill toward Lowman Park and turn right at 48th Avenue SW to rejoin the original stairway walk route.
A steep "secret" extension of the Wright Avenue SW right-of-way
NOTE: As of Friday morning April4, the North Beach Trail remains closed.
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