Fall and winter hiking. Get away from it all without going too far.

Japanese Gulch, Mukilteo, WA

By Arnie Hammerman

Some people complain about the weather in Western Washington, but as a long-ago transplant from the Midwest, I kind of like it. The long days of summer fade into darkened evenings, temperatures drop below 60°, and that light misty rain seems to freshen everything. To me, hiking in the cool of fall and winter is invigorating, even if that means getting a little wet. Water is life. 

I am not someone who needs to scale a mountain using technical gear or breach the snowline. My kind of hiking is more like a refreshing walk in the woods, often with my dog. Sometimes we conquer some elevation and sometimes we just trudge around in the mud and splash in the puddles while we look for wildlife wandering through the ferns, mushrooms, and moss-covered debris. Having grown up in the flatlands, I marvel at the tall conifers like the Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, and Hemlock that are so abundant in the Puget Sound area. While the autumn color of Washington’s deciduous trees tends to lean toward yellow, this year I have seen some spectacular reds and oranges too. It is always fun to watch the leaves change and fall, especially the immense leaves of the aptly named Big Leaf Maples that seem to be everywhere in the lowlands.

One of my favorite places for fall and winter hikes is Japanese Gulch. I am lucky enough to live in Mukilteo, not far from this hundred-plus-acre urban forest, but people come from all around to check out this easily accessible pocket of nature. 

Why Japanese Gulch?

Japanese Gulch is named for the settlement of Japanese millworkers that lived at its base in the early 1900s. At that time, the Mukilteo Lumber Company (later Crown Lumber) operated a large sawmill where Japanese immigrants were an integral part of the workforce. They lived not far from the mill in a tight cluster along a creek that ran down the gulch, in a mostly segregated but thriving community. 

The wooded area that comprises Japanese Gulch stretches from near Edgewater beach on the shoreline of Possession Sound up 600’ to the edge of Paine Field along Highway 526 adjacent to the Boeing Everett Production Facility. This forest was logged extensively during the early 20th century, so there are no old growth trees left, but stumps with springboard notches can be seen in places. These act as nurse stumps with Western Red cedar and other trees growing from them. They also nourish a wide variety of mushrooms, mosses, and other native growth. A hundred years later, some of the second growth trees have grown large and become well established, with a substantial tree canopy covering much of the gulch today. The salmon stream (Japanese Gulch Creek) that was adjacent to the Japanese community still runs, but it has been diverted several times.

The lower creek was channeled and redirected to accommodate railroad tracks and industrial development around the early mills. The mid to upper sections of the creek were further altered in the 1940s–1950s when the US Military constructed refueling facilities near Paine Field. A fuel pipeline was built through the gulch and later a railroad spur that now services The Boeing Company. The purpose of the pipeline was to transport aviation fuel for US Army Air Corps operations at Paine Field during and after WWII, but it was never fully operational. The waterfront area at the base of the gulch was used by the US Navy for vessel refueling but the facility has long been shut down, and the pier and tanks were recently removed. A waterfront redevelopment is in the works that includes plans for waterfront promenade and daylighting Japanese Gulch Creek, which currently runs through a culvert (pipe) into the sound. The new WSDOT Mukilteo ferry terminal is also in the area that used to be part of the tank farm on the waterfront.

While the beachside portion of Gulch Creek is currently culverted, Coho Salmon still manage to make their way up this stream. There is a parking area across from the Mt. Baker Ave railroad crossing on the south side of Mukilteo Lane. A fish ladder is a short walk from this lot, which helps salmon get up into the main stream. The lower gulch trail also runs near here stretching, a quarter mile up through the woods to where it comes out on 5^th Street (W. Mukilteo Blvd.) This is the easiest section of the Japanese Gulch trails and is fun for kids and those with physical limitations. It is not ADA compliant, but wheelchairs may be able to get limited access at the bottom of the trail, depending on conditions and the type of equipment. Small wooden bridges run up through this area to keep people out of the water, but the trail can still get muddy in spots.

On 5^th Street there is another parking area and access to Japanese Gulch at the Dog Park Trailhead. This lot is adjacent to the Tails and Trails dog park, a fenced in area, with an agility course for the pups. From this parking lot, you can access the lower section of the Mainline Trail, which leads through the length of the park and ends at the 76^th Street Trailhead. This Mainline trail winds up past some wetlands and eventually up a steep hillside, where it connects to the main area of gulch trails. 

Personally, I prefer to enter from the Japanese Gulch South (76^th Street) Trailhead which has a parking area located at corner of 76^th Street SW and 44^th Avenue W. This trailhead leads you into the South Loop area of Japanese Gulch. In addition to trail access, there is a community garden and a dirt jump track for bicycles at the 76^th Street entrance. The new, official bike park opened in 2024 and includes multiple jump lines for BMX and dirt jump bikes. Originally, there was a controversial jump track farther inside the gulch that was removed because of its proximity to wetlands. 

The area accessible from the South parking lot and trailhead has a variety of nice trails that are relatively level, although you can also choose to go down the steep face toward Japanese Gulch Creek. The park ends just before the creek, which flows through a series of concrete abutments put in place when the fuel pipeline and railroad spur were installed. 

While the railroad spur is only used to transport aircraft parts up from the waterfront to the Boeing facility above the ridge, there are trains occasionally in the area East of the creek. Burlington Northern Railroad police also patrol the tracks, as the public is not allowed on or near them. On the other side of the tracks, on what for the most part is The Boeing Company property there are some ad hoc trails that are not part of the Japanese Gulch Park.

From the edge of the park, by the Japanese Gulch Creek, several trails lead up the hillside to the ridge above. On the ridge, the Mainline trail intersects a series of loop trails, including both the South and North Loop trails. The South Loop also connects to the 19^th Street Trailhead. This trailhead leads into a residential neighborhood which has limited or no public parking and is mostly used by locals walking into the gulch from their houses.

The trails on the ridge from 76^th Street to before where the Mainline drops off the edge and winds down to the dog park is my favorite area. There are a variety of routes you can take through this mostly flat but in parts “hilly” area. The South loop is pretty level and winds through some lovely, forested areas with abundant salmonberries in the spring. I prefer the North Loop, which has a little bit of up and down and brings you to the crest of the forest at the northernmost ridge. There you have a view of the water and Mt. Baker on a clear day, although you are looking through abundant trees and vegetation. I just like being in the woods on the steep edge and sometimes take the trail down, and back up to get more of a workout.

Japanese Gulch trails were originally built for the most part by Mountain Bikers and the trails are shared by bicyclists, dog walkers, runners, and hikers alike. If you are biking in the gulch, be aware that you can come upon slower walkers, including children and dogs. If you are jogging, hiking or dog walking, please be courteous and step aside so bikes can pass. This may sound like a big traffic jam, but I have hiked in the gulch for years, and it seems to work out fine. I have heard occasional complaints about bikes, but the cyclists I have met on the trails have always been considerate, and I have never had a problem. Dogs are required to be on leash in the park, and you must pick up after them. I caution those with retracting dog leashes to use extra caution, so bicyclists don’t become entangled.

Japanese Gulch is a great place for outdoor activity even in fall and winter. It may be a bit muddy in there in the off season, but it is still a lot of fun. If you have never been to Japanese Gulch, come to Mukilteo and check it out. Spend the day or stay at one of the local hotels and make it a weekend. If it’s too rainy you can check out local museums like the Boeing Factory Tour at the Future of Flight or the vintage warbirds at the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum. There is also another nice hike in Mukilteo called Big Gulch. We will cover that in more detail at a later time. If you like getting outside to hike, bike, jog, or simply take a nice walk in the woods, Japanese Gulch is a great spot. I am spoiled because I live close enough to walk over, but I really enjoy sharing this park. I hope I see you on the trails.

Trail Map