Grandview (Pictures) March 21st, 2007
Grandview Park in Sea-Tac is a great place for dogs. All of the dogs are well behaved, with the exception of my Porter and Tess. Porter occasionally growls at another dog and Tess sometimes barks at a person. Kelsy just fetches and fetches until she collapses. Saturdays and Sundays can be crowded. I like to go during “off-peak” hours.
While Grandview is undeniably a great park, the first thing to note is that some people like to break into the cars surprisingly often. It’s hard to see the cars from the play field. I’ve heard many reports of burglaries. I make sure to take anything valuable with me, in my jacket pockets or in a backpack. If you want to visit the park on the way home from buying a flat screen TV, you can park on the west side of the lot and stay on the north, upper field, where you’ll be able to watch your car. Don’t let the potential for car prowls deter you from visiting this great park. If we can just educate people to not leave valuables in their cars--sort of a “Don’t Feed the Bears” policy--the miscreants will move on to some other location.
While Grandview is first and foremost a great place for dogs, I would recommend going there even if you don’t have a dog, just to see the view. If you pick a clear day, Mt. Rainier is enormous. I have hiked right up near Mt. Rainier, to Castle Mountain, and it seems the closer you get, the smaller the mountain becomes. Nowhere else does Mt. Rainier seem so impressive as from this park. As I say, though, you have to pick a clear day, after wind and rain has scoured out the smog. Even if you can’t see the mountain, you can enjoy the wide open spaces. The Puget Sound region is so densely forested that it can be a relief to walk in a vast space with a complete dome of sky, especially in the dark days of winter.
Another reason to visit Grandview even if you don’t have a dog is for the native plants. Around the edges of the fields and in the woods to the north, I counted at least 25 species of native plants with just a cursory examination. On our recent visit, the trilliums and currants were at the peak of bloom. I especially enjoy the smell of black cottonwood, of which there are several large specimens. Below is a list of plants I saw.Acer macrophyllum Big leaf maple
Alnus rubra Alder
Arbutus menziesii Madrone
Claytonia sibirica Candyflower
Corylus cornuta Hazelnut
Gaultheria shallon Salal
Holodiscus discolor Oceanspray
Mahonia nervosa Low Oregon grape
Oemlaria cerasiformis Indian plum
Polystichum munitum Sword fern
Populus balsamiferous Black cottonwood
Pseudotsuga menziesii Douglasfir
Ribes sanguineum Red-flowering currant
Rosa gymnocarpa Baldhip rose
Rubus leucodermis Black-cap raspberry
Rubus parviflorus Thimbleberry
Rubus spectabilis Salmonberry
Rubus ursinus Trailing blackberry
Sambucus racemosa Elderberry
Symphoricarpos albus Snowberry
Tellima grandiflora Fringecup
Thuja plicata Western red cedar
Trillium ovatum Western trillium
Tsuga heterophylla Western hemlock
Urtica dioica Stinging nettles
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