Mercer Slough Nature Park Trails

In 1917 when the Seattle Ship Canal and locks were constructed the level of Lake Washington dropped 10 feet and what was once a bay became a wetlands and flat farmland with a slow moving slough dividing them. In the 1950s the city of Bellevue began acquiring land to make the park which has grown to 320 acres.

 We walked/rolled along the two loop trails in the park, the Bellefields Trail and the Heritage Trail for  a combined length of 2 miles. Both trail are a combination of boardwalk or hard packed dirt with gravel or mulch. The Bellefields Trail is lined with ferns, shrubs, and trees as it wanders through the wetlands. Mosquitos may be numerous in some sections. The Heritage Trail follows the edge of a blueberry farm and has interpretive signs about the early farms and logging operations. 

The Winters House, built by Frederick W. Winters in 1929, sits on the west edge of the park. Winters was a flower bulb grower who profited from the quarantine of imported bulbs that was in place from 1926 to 1938. The house is normally opened for tours but the due to South Bellevue Light Rail construction it's closed and will not reopen until the project is finished. The self pick blueberry farm is also closed for the duration.

The trails are accessible with assistance due to hills as the trail climbs to street level. The transitions from boardwalk to trail are not even. The boardwalks are in good shape and the trails are hard packed.

 Parking is limited. We parked in the lot for the not-yet-completed Light Rail station but that lot is not really large enough for RVs. Probably the best thing to do, once the station construction is completed, is to park in a large park-and-ride lot and take the light rail to the park. Park  47.58547, -122.18999