Tucked away in southeast Federal Way is a rare getaway where rabbits graze and a chorus of birds chirp overhead.
The 120-acre West Hylebos Wetlands Park, located at 411 S. 348th St., is surrounded on all sides by sprawling city landscape. That is quickly forgotten once the journey along the winding boardwalk begins. As a protected wetlands area, the park is home to several species of plant and animal wildlife. Its history also makes for a noteworthy story.
“The park is a great place to get 45 minutes of nature really easily,” said Chris Carrel, Friends of the Hylebos executive director. “It’s right here in our community.”
The wetlands shelter plants and animals that are hard to find in other parts of Federal Way. More than 100 bird species frequent the park. Frogs, squirrels and other critters can also be found. Twenty-seven species of moss, 37 species of lichen, 30 fungi and six liverwort species are located in the park.
The park is an up-close visual of an evolving wetlands. It’s slowly transforming from a bog to a forest, Carrel said. The low land forested wetland is unusual in the Puget Sound area, he said. Visitors to the park see several types of wetlands — from open water wetlands, such as Brooklake pond, to more forested areas.
“(The park) provides you with a living history of different types of Puget Sound wetlands,” Carrel said.
The West Hylebos Wetlands Park can best be seen by walking the park’s path system. The boardwalk, placed by Friends of the Hylebos, was redone in 2008. Educational signs about the wildlife are scattered along the weaving wood path.
Both Friends of the Hylebos and West Hylebos Wetlands Park owe their creation to a Federal Way couple.
In 1955, the late Ilene and Francis Marckx bought a large plot of land that is now part of the Hylebos boardwalk. Years later, they discovered impressive wetlands and wildlife living on their property. The couple decided their land, and the life it supported, were worth preserving.
They founded the group that would later become Friends of the Hylebos. In 1981, the Marckxes also donated 23.5 acres of their land to what would later become a state park. The state acquired more land and a ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the West Hylebos State Park in 1991.
The City of Federal Way took land ownership in 2004, and the park came to be known as West Hylebos Wetlands Park. In 2008, the Federal Way City Council proclaimed the first Saturday in May will annually be known as Hylebos Day.
Check it out
The park is open from dawn to dusk every day. There are no parking or admission fees. The boardwalk is wheelchair accessible and a typical walk through the park takes approximately 90 minutes. Pets are not allowed and guests are asked to stay on designated paths. Tours of the park are self-guided.
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