Located at the northbound Exit 215 of the I-5 Freeway, 49 minutes north of Seattle. View NW Native Plants: indigenous trees, shrubs, vines, and ferns along with grass, moss, mushroom, pond, flower and groundcover species within 3 types of wetlands in a remnant of the destroyed West Fork of Church Creek. The Gardens are intended to serve as an outdoor educational and recreational resource for the coming generations and contain 3/4 miles of a continuous wheelchair path. The latter hosts 16 interpretive rainy-day kiosks that provide information about native flora, as well as local and natural history. Kiosks’ roofs are planted to attract butterfly species requiring specific native as larva hosts and native birds. Visitors are asked to:
- Enhance and protect this natural watershed ecosystem;
- Not pick leaves, turn rocks, destroy or alter the natural habitat (native fern, moss, vine, flower and grass types are under propagation);
- Please, no unsupervised children (not allowed);
- Tell others of the NW’s exclusively native botanical garden; heighten awareness about the “holistic” nature of our watersheds and NW ecology; and
- Allow all visitors to peacefully enjoy the trails, gardens, and waterways.
Walk the path shown on the Gardens’ Map. Watch the seasonal changes as Spring brings our Daffodil Hill alive, along with salamanders, frogs, and other early flowers. Summer is witness to turtles sunning themselves on logs. Autumn welcomes back the migratory trout, while Winter hosts migrating birds and river otter. Please visit.