Ku'wah-dah-wilth Restoration Area

Potawot Indian Health Village

(map link)

When I was documenting even the littlest nature hikes available in the nearby city parks and similar at the end of 2021, there was a rather large omission. The Potawot Indian Health Village is split roughly in half between buildings and the Ku'wah-dah-wilth Restoration Area. This area has about two miles of looping trails around community gardens and areas purged of invasive species then replanted with native plants. The closer trails are paved while the outer parameter paths are dirt. I caught a sunny window and set off to wind and wander around these numerous trails, but managed to miss some of the outer ones. They were looking somewhat faint, but were not very muddy in spite of all the recent raining. I started at the information sign beside the parking lot. Dogs, bikes and other rolling things, and smoking aren't allowed in the Health Village.

Starting out on the paved paths that loop this flat area.

Looking toward the ocean: more of the surrounding flats.

Long tassels of flowers on the coast silk tassel.

Red alder present their own kind of tassels.

I was heading for the community gardens, so found fenced garden on one side and flowering orchard on the other. Continuing around finds greenhouses. Further on, the trail seemed highly unofficial but is on the sign. It runs into better used tracks.

A few of the blooms on a tree in the orchard.

Past the garden, the trail is planted with cedar on the right and alder on the left.

There's longer views on the mountain side. Some spots get a bit of freeway noise.

Looking across the freeway, there's hills and the backing mountains with giant white patches of snow.

Looking across the nearby field to more hills.

Barely leafed out but flowering current below the barely leafed out but flowering alders.

There's numbered posts along the paths, both paved and unpaved, but I wasn't able to find any brochure to go with them. Their content has likely been partly replaced with interpretive signs.

Benches and signs beside one of the wetland ponds. Come at the right time and the benches will be the perfect place for bird song.

Bunches of flowers on an Oregon grape.

Still early for the rhododendrons, but this one in lots of sun was releasing the first of the blooms.

I hit almost all the trails, but didn't seem to quite collect two miles. It's all very flat, too, even across the bridges. Good for a restful stroll, though.




*Potawot album*

©2023 Valerie Norton
Written 20 Mar 2023