Bridle Trails Park Foundation

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Bridle Trails Park Foundation

Established to protect, maintain and enhance Bridle Trails State Park

Bridle Trails Park Foundation is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 which raises money to protect Bridle Trails State Park. We also work closely with the Washington Parks Ranger and the agency to promote proper use and enhancement of this public facility.

06/13/2026

Ranger Matt Birklid is Moving On……

After 10 years with State Parks, Matt is making an exciting step toward supporting his upcoming degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington. He has accepted a summer research internship with the Ocean Data Lab at UW, where he will be assisting investigations utilizing Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) to monitor salmon vocal behavior and sound production. This work will support marine energy development.

The Foundation has been grateful for Matt’s organization, kindness, and forever positive attitude while playing an integral role working with us to implement important park enhancement projects and wonderful community events over the years.

Ranger Matt is working tomorrow (Sunday 6/14), Tuesday (6/16), Thursday(6/18), with his last day on Saturday, June 20th.
Be sure to stop by and wish him well on his new adventure if you can. From forests to fish, so cool!

St. Edward Park Ranger Daryl Kline will oversee operations at Bridle Trails for the foreseeable future and will be working closely with Senior Park Aide, Wyatt Swanson. Daryl was the Park Ranger here at Bridle Trails for a couple of years and knows the park, its events, and the community very well.

Happy Summer – See you in the Park Soon!

05/28/2026

While you may not want to go “clubbing” here, please consider joining 20+ year park trustee Jim Erckmann for a FOREST ECOLOGY walk on Saturday, June 13th. He’ll be discussing how the forest is changing over time, its amazing plants and animals, and why preservation efforts are so important now. Jim Erckmann is a retired ecologist with a PhD from UW and has done considerable research on the history and ecology of the park.
Please register in advance here: https://www.bridletrails.org/jun13-forest-ecology-walk
Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus) - Photo K. Quinn

05/06/2026

Ever seen one of these? We're hopeful to discover some rare hidden plant gems this Saturday, May 9, from 9am-noon in Bridle Trails State Park. Botanist Clay Antieau will lead the walk. He is past president of the Washington Native Plant Society, an experienced restoration ecologist, and teaches master gardener and native plant identification classes.
Please register in advance at https://www.bridletrails.org/may9-botany-walk

04/18/2026

HAPPY EARTH DAY 2026!
It was a gorgeous spring day in Bridle Trails State Park with 30+ volunteers working to keep invasives out.
Today’s targets: periwinkle and shiny geranium.
Students from six different high schools, members from local running clubs, neighbors (some with their awesome kids), our beloved previous park Ranger for 30 years (and her husband), our amazing Park Ranger and Senior Park Aide (always smiling Matt and Wyatt), along with Park Foundation members and their families supported the event with sweat equity, traffic assistance, pizza pick up, and brownie baking.
A GREAT DAY TO BE TOGETHER AND ALL IN FOR THE PARK! ❤️

04/15/2026

EARTH DAY 2026
THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 18th 9AM-12NOON
Students, Families, Neighbors, Scouts & Park Friends!
Join us in our efforts to preserve this beautiful urban park by removing two tenacious park invaders: English ivy and purple vinca (a.k.a. periwinkle).
Registration is required and as always, we’ll have FREE pizza and treats afterward. High school students can earn service hours with friends. More info and registration (required) @ bridletrails.org
Event Start/Finish/Lunch : 5220 132nd Ave NE Bellevue (NE side of the park)
Hope to see you in the park!

03/22/2026

Saturday is the International Day of Forests.
Forests are more than just trees – they provide a rich variety of food sources, including fruits, nuts, seeds, mushrooms and honey.
They also provide many health benefits for humans, such as fresh air, nutritious foods, clean water, space for recreation and more.

03/16/2026

WELCOME WYATT!
If you were lucky enough to be in the park today, you may have been greeted by Ranger Matt and the park’s new Senior Park Aide, Wyatt. Wyatt's first week brought hours (and hours) of onboarding that one might expect when working for a state agency, a flash course in storm cleanup after 50+mph wind gusts followed by heavy snow, and today, the first equestrian event of 2026!
He's still smiling and the Foundation feels most fortunate to have him on the Washington State Parks team caring for the park. Be sure to say hello on your next visit!

01/05/2026

Head's up, trail users! Next Saturday, Jan. 10th, Seattle Running Club will host its annual race in the park. Starting this year, they will no longer be running at night. There will be up to 350 runners, some of whom will run multiple laps.
Race starts at 8am, course closes at 4:30pm
All runners are instructed on proper trail etiquette.
See the route below if you are visiting the park and would like to avoid the race route.

12/16/2025

Washington has faced serious damage in the wake of a series of atmospheric rivers. With staff spread thin, all reports of storm damage from the public are a great help. We are requesting the public email [email protected] with any information. Including pictures and dates of observed damage in your email are extremely helpful, and especially locations (a dropped pin on a map, GPS coordinates, or a detailed description of the trail). Of course, please use caution when exploring the parks this winter season and thank you for your continuous support of Washington State Parks!

12/06/2025

A most WONDERFUL December morning in the park with T-Mobile "Trees & Technology" volunteers organized by board member Candice Boyd! Candice also applied for and received a $5,000 grant for restoration efforts in the park from T-Mobile. Today was their 2nd service day in 2025 with employees from IT, Engineering, Cyber Security, and Innovation Teams joining in the forest fun. The group planted native species where invasives had previously taken hold on a park boundary: Salmonberry, Sword Fern, Oregon Grape, and lots of Salal.
Ranger Matt Birklid and the Foundation are grateful for everyone's energy, efforts and participation. See you in the park soon!

Address

5300 116th Avenue NE
Kirkland, WA
98033

Telephone

+14253073578

Website

http://www.bridletrails.org/

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