Directions
Swan Creek Pond - Tacoma
From the North, Take exit 135 off South bound I-5. Turn left as soon as
you can to go under I-5. Get into the right lane and follow the sign to
Highway 167 / Puyallup.
From the South, Take exit 135 off North Bound I-5 and continue straight.
You will see a sign for EQC on your left. Do not stop to play bingo at
the Emerald Queen Casino. About 1/2 a mile along this road is a stoplight.
Turn mildly right at the stoplight and NOT before. Watch for a large
building on the left. (Emerald Perfect Rest) Turn immediately into the
gravel driveway on the right. There is a large sign that says Swan Creek
Park but it is not visable until you have turned. If the road you are on
turns almost ninety degrees, you have missed it.
Coal Creek Pond - Bellevue
Take I-405 to the Coal Creek Pkwy Exit. (South end of Bellevue) Go East
on Coal Creek Pkwy, through three stoplights. (The last is Forest Drive
and only turns left) As the Pkwy drops in to the bottom of Coal Creek
there is a small parking lot on the left side at the bottom. Watch out
because the traffic is quite fast through there. The pond is on the right
side of the trail about 300 feet from the parking lot.
Darrell Lowe's - Bellevue
Take Coal Creek Parkway East to 60th Ave SE. (only turns to the right)
Go up the steep hill on 60th and take the first right. Keep going right
any time you can.... Turn left when forced to.... and you will end up
in a small (4 houses) cul-de-sac. Darrell's house is across the street
and has 4911 in very large numbers on the door.
New Bellevue Pond
Directions: Take the 156th Ave SE exit off I-90 at Eastgate. Go north
on 156th to SE 24th St. Turn right on SE 24th St to 158th Ave SE. Turn
right (south) for 2 short blocks. Park on 158th Ave SE and walk through
the fence to the first pond.
Marysville - Twin Lakes
Head North on I-5 to exit 206 (Smokey Point) which is about six miles
north of Marysville. Head west off the exit for about a block and the
signs will tell you to turn left. Follow the road until it parallels
I-5 and you reach the park. Driving time from Seattle is about 45
minutes.
Cle Elum - Hanson Ponds
Go East on I-90 and take exit 84 onto First Ave in Cle Elum.
Turn right (south) on Oakes Ave. (There is a Chevron station on
the corner.) This is also marked as the Eastbound access to I-90.
Follow the road and go over the I-90 overpass to the Whispering
Pines R/V Park on the south side of I-90. Just before the road
ends at the R/V park, take a sharp left (U-turn) into the dirt
parking lot and continue on the gravel road through the woods.
The battle is at the first pond on the left. The pond is alongside
I-90 about 1/2 a mile from the R/V park. We usually are at the west end of
the first pond but sometimes are found elsewhere. Driving time from Seattle
is about one hour and fifteen minutes.
Out of Town?
I-5 runs North/South from Canada to Mexico. I-405 branches off just
south of Seattle and runs parallel to I-5 until it rejoins I-5 north of
Seattle. I-90 starts in Seattle and goes east into Idaho. It crosses
both I-5 and I-405.
Most of our battles are right off these main roads. Bellevue is where
I-90 and I-405 meet. Cle Elum is an hour east (in the cascade mts).
Marysville is Just off I-5 North of Seattle.