Starting from the West Tiger 3 Trailhead the Swamp Trail heads off in the opposite direction. Pass the bulletin boards and bathrooms and follow the signs.

There are story boards along the entire trail telling the story of the Swamp Monster and several friends.  E really enjoyed listening to me read the signs along the way and following the story. He grew increasingly nervous about whether or not the Swamp Monster was real and I had to assure him it was just a story.

Everything is quite green this time of year and the mushrooms are out and worth investigating. There is moss everywhere and on everything.

Fiddleheads are starting to show up.

The salmonberry flowers are out and they are a sure sign of spring in the Cascades.  We also saw a garter snake and lots of skunk cabbage in the swamp itself.

The trail is mostly flat with one moderate hill and E hiked the entire out and back all the way to the Big Tree, which is about 1.5-1.75 miles round-trip. His maximum hiking distance is about 2 miles right now. He can do more, but it begins to become unpleasant for him after that so we’re keeping it easy.