Branches from the main trail are poorly defined and poorly marked. Suggest printing the pdf file from the Parks Dept website and trying to follow it.
Access trail and branches are poorly drained. Lot of standing water [mosquitoes were terrible in the middle of the day].
Overall Path:
GPS reception was poor so path & distance is unavailable at this point. We will either re-walk this trail or reconstruct it in the near future to obtain map path & distance.
-click the arrow to start/restart slede show-
Southwest Way Park's hiking trail consisted of a straight out and back path of about ??mile. This part of the trail was raised about six feet above the surrounding terrain similar to a converted rail trail with a wide hard packed surface. Along the trail and at one end there are several unmarked foot paths. If your new to this trail and take one of these footpaths take the first opportunity to return to the main trail until your familiar with which footpaths actually return to the trail. I took a foot path at one end of the trail and tried to follow it along the river bank only to have to back track as it just ended in the middle of nowhere. There are two footpaths that lead to the main trail. The footpath from the parking lot near the trail signs is a gradual downhill that intersects with the main trail at its mid-way point. This path and the aforementioned footpaths are poorly drained causing treacherous footing during wet weather. The other footpath from the parking lot, near the timber stares, is a gradual uphill that curves around to a steep downhill to the opposite end of the main trail. Accessing the main trail via this footpath or returning this way is a pleasant walk until you encounter this steep portion of the path, be forewarned. It is unfortunate that none of the paths allow for easy access to the shores of the river. A fact that is due in large part to the lack of a gradual bank in this area as the swiftness and depth of the river have eroded the shoreline to the point that the riverbank is just a drop-off into the river.
. The footpath from the parking lot near the trail signs is a gradual downhill that intersects with the main trail at its mid-way point. This path and the aforementioned footpaths are poorly drained causing treacherous footing during wet weather. The other footpath from the parking lot, near the timber stares, is a gradual uphill that curves around to a steep downhill to the opposite end of the main trail. Accessing the main trail via this footpath or returning this way is a pleasant walk until you encounter this steep portion of the path, be forewarned. It is unfortunate that none of the paths allow for easy access to the shores of the river. A fact that is due in large part to the lack of a gradual bank in this area as the swiftness and depth of the river have eroded the shoreline to the point that the riverbank is just a drop-off into the river.
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