Natural area / forest · South Bellevue
Coal Creek Natural Area
A 440-acre forested natural area along Coal Creek with waterfalls and relics of Bellevue's 19th-century coal-mining past.
Coal Creek Natural Area is a 440-acre forested park in south Bellevue, about seven miles from downtown, at the foot of Cougar Mountain. It offers roughly 3.7 miles of well-marked trails through dense second-growth forest along Coal Creek.
The area preserves vivid reminders of the region's coal-mining history. Coal was discovered along the creek in 1863, launching one of Seattle's first major industries; over the next century miners extracted some 11 million tons of coal from the slopes of Cougar Mountain before the mines were sealed in 1963. Interpretive kiosks and visible artifacts mark the former mining town sites, including the Red Town meadow that once held the miners' baseball field.
Hikers can reach waterfalls such as North Fork Falls, by a short spur over a wooden bridge across Coal Creek, and Sandstone Falls along the Primrose Trail. The Red Town Trailhead at Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, near the junction of Lakemont Boulevard and Coal Creek Parkway, provides the main access.
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South Bellevue
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South Bellevue
A 320-acre wetland nature park protecting Lake Washington's largest remaining freshwater wetland, with canoe trails and a blueberry farm.
- Acreage
- 320 acres
- Trails
- About 7 miles
- Habitat
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A 12.65-acre Bellevue sports park anchored by a tournament-quality lighted baseball stadium with stands and concessions.
- Type
- Sports park
- Acreage
- 12.65 acres
- Features
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Free 53-acre botanical garden on Wilburton Hill with nine display gardens, including one of America's largest public perennial borders.
- Acreage
- 53 acres
- Opened
- 1992
- Admission
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