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Lord Hill Regional Park
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LordHillPreferredPlan_20220707 |
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Features
- Beach
- Horse Trailer Parking
- Picnic Areas
- Restrooms/Sanicans
PARK UPDATES
Here are a few Lord Hill Regional Park Updates (3/31/23)
UPCOMING WORK
- There are many work parties scheduled throughout the year (see below).
- The North Entry Reconfiguration will happen following the identification of a temporary rearrangement that will meet user needs or following a full redesign and permitting process.
- You can view the planned solution for the Lord Hill Regional Park North Entry Recongifuration in this PDF.
UPCOMING VOLUNTEER EVENTS/OPPORTUNITIES
- Find upcoming volunteer opportunities on our volunteer page. New opportunities are added regularly.
- Find Washington Trail Association volunteer opportunities on their webpage.
- 4/8/23: WTA Emergency Response and Leadership Training at the red barn.
- 4/15/23: Friends of Lord Hill and Snohomish High School students and teachers volunteer work party. Work plan: Temple Loop, hiker/equestrian trails southeast of Temple Pond
- 4/23/23: MTB volunteer work party With John Tucker
2023 PARKS STAFF/VOLUNTEER WORK
- 3/4/23: Friends of Lord Hill and Snohomish High School students and teachers volunteer work party. They worked on North Pipeline, Lower Temple Loop
- The Washington Trail Association (WTA) work parties (2/4, 2/11, and 2/24/23) focused on re-establishing the Start-Up trail (hiking-only) for use by the public. The work included establishing a new connection to the Cell Tower Access Road at the west end of the trail, decommissioning the old alignment connecting to Upper Springboard, and if time and capacity allow brushing and other improvements at the east end of the trail. The work parties also began work to re-route a short section of White Ox further away from the adjacent private property to the west.
- 1/27/23: Washington Trails Association led 11 Snohomish County Park staff on trail training which included trail realignment, best practices, work parties, and tread (new trail construction, maintenance, drainage, site, and slope). The team re-opened the hiking-only "Start-Up" trail, focusing on establishing part of a new alignment and decommissioning the old.
- 1/18/23: 6 volunteers and Park Ranger Allia Emerson worked from 12-3:30 pm to clear branches and foliage from encroaching on the trail and clear culverts on the Main Trail, Pipeline Cutoff, Temple Pond Loop, Red Barn Loop, and Lower Spring Board Trail. Rangers also cleared downed trees off several trails as well.
2022 PARKS STAFF WORK
- 10/3-10/7 Maintenance did some needed routine maintenance at the entrance road to the north parking lots patching the asphalt and clearing out the drainage swales
- Our staff brushed back more trails and cleared downed trees. The work was focused in the SE region of the park on equestrian trails (around temple pond, SE corner, and south to Loren's ridge)
- Work on the new entrance trail from the upper parking lot began on 10/11 and continued for a few weeks.
- 10/11 and 10/18/22: Educational Training for Sky Valley Students occurred in Lord Hill, taught by Washington Trails Association
- 10/19/22 Snohomish County Parks Volunteer Program "Reboot".
- 12/18/22 volunteer work party: Raked 1/2 mile of Upper Spring Board Trail, removed hazards and organic material from the trail, cleared culverts for better drainage and documented trees to be removed in the future.
Lord Hill Regional Park Preferred Plan
Read the final Preferred Plan for Lord Hill here.
The highlights of the plan include:
- A cohesive trail system update
- Updated trail guidelines for all trail building
- A balanced system of multi-use, hiking-only, hiking/biking, biking-only and equestrian/hiking trails
- Increased safety at trail intersections
- North entrance reconfiguration including a parking lot swap
- Decommissioning of unsustainable and/or rogue trails
- A comprehensive wayfinding and signage plan
Description
Ride horseback, hike, or mountain bike into the vast evergreen forest of this 1,463-acre upland nature preserve. A day's exploration of this unique wilderness park will include discovering many species of plant and animal life. And, with a little luck, you may observe a family of beavers busily constructing a dam.
The park contains over six miles of designated trails. From the higher points within the park, one can capture panoramic views of the surrounding Snohomish River valley and distant mountain ranges. View points such as Devil’s Butte Lookout or along the ridge of the Pipeline Trail are popular destinations for viewing the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges.
Trailhead parking accommodates up to 25 horse trailers and tow vehicles.
Park History
Mitchell Lord purchased 80 acres on the hill in 1879 and homesteaded on 130 acres in 1884. Devoting most of his attention to dairying, he also raised horses, sheep and hogs. 100 acres were in cultivation. His home, built on a terraced elevation overlooking the Snohomish River Valley, was one of the most imposing residences in the county.
The Parks Department secured the majority of the park property from the Department of Natural Resources and Washington State Parks through a reconveyance action.
Park Projects
Please visit our Lord Hill Park Current Projects page for the latest developments.