Tickle Creek Trail

You can start Tickle Creek Trail on the east end or the west end, or somewhere in the middle. The best parking is on the east end of the trail. Park at the signed pull out along Dubarko Road. Cross over the first of five bridges (numbered Bridge 5) and head into the forest. This section of trail has several nurse logs and nurse stumps along it. Unfortunately, an adjacent landowner cut 10 acres up to the trail which caused trees along the trail corridor to blow down to the creek. It is an ongoing issue and cleanup project. We have planted more trees to help nature along. Continue down the trail until it comes to Dubarko Road at 0.4 miles. Look both ways on Dubarko Road at this unmarked road crossing, and pick up the trail across the street. The trail then loops around a drainage detention pond that often has ducks. You can go left or right - they both take you back to Dubarko Road. Take the opposite side of the loop on your return trip. The trail leads back to Dubarko Road. Look both ways and cross Dubarko Road in the marked crossing and continue on an older paved section of the trail. Follow the paved section around over a large culvert, past an old section with buckled pavement, and by the Knollwood Playground. Just past the playground, turn right and head to the sidewalk. The sidewalk section totals 850 feet. Turn left on the sidewalk along Dubarko and stay on it across Sandy Heights and a short distance later, you see another trail marker post and a bridge. Turn left and cross Bridge 4. The trail then skirts the creek and passes by a large private land parcel on your left (south) with a fence along the trail. There is a bench along this section. Soon, you come to the largest bridge (Bridge 3) and my favorite part of the trail. Although there are homes visible beyond the forested corridor, the large cedar trees, carpet of green oxalis (looks like clover), and thick ferns are captivating. There are two large notched cedar stumps here with Douglas fir trees that grew out of them and actually split the stump in two! These are protected with rail fence. There is also a large cedar with old fire scars and places for wildlife to hide. There is another bench along here that showcases a great view of the creek with large logs in the creek providing good salmon habitat. Salmon are found in Tickle Creek. Soon you come to Bridge 2 and again see adjacent homes beyond the forest. The trail approaches 362nd Drive as it crosses the fifth bridge numbered Bridge 1. The trail ends just one house east of 362nd Drive and Dubarko.If you decide to park on the west end, please do not park in front of mailboxes or driveways. If you want to do an even four-mile roundtrip hike and get a little cardiovascular in your hike, head across Dubarko to Yokum Loop and take that steeper road back down to Dubarko and back to the west end trail entrance.

This area of Sandy was logged at the turn of the century except for a few "wolf" cedar trees with many branches. The large trees here are around 100 years old. Trail construction was completed in 2011 after nearly ten years of planning and securing funding. Easements were purchased in a few spots and the Iseli Nursery Family Trust sold the large parcel of land on the trail's west end to the City of Sandy at a discount. This protected the outstanding setting that surrounds the trail. The large, long (40-60 foot) bridge stringers for Bridges 1, 2 and 3 were flown in by helicopter to protect surrounding forest. Local volunteers and contractors designed and built the trail. The City of Sandy has constructed links from nearby neighborhoods to this cross-town trail and hopes to expand the trail on both the east and west ends.