Heaven is a place on earth, and it’s in Poulsbo

POULSBO — It’s lunchtime and finally sunny.

A jaunt into nature’s bounty is an ideal way to spend a free hour, but with cars, concrete and buildings all around, reaching the great outdoors no longer appears to be a viable option.

Not true.

Right in the heart of Poulsbo’s east side is 11.56 acres of enchanted forest more commonly known as Wilderness Park.

In the 1970s the Myreboe family donated the property to the city under the caveat it remain an undeveloped, green space.

It did.

It’s relatively untouched, full of child-sized ferns, has a wee babbling brook, greenery of every shade imaginable and only lacks cars and concrete.

“When you go on that trail you basically forget your in the middle of a city,” said Parks and Recreation Director Mary McCluskey. “It’s an urban trail, but it really takes you off the sidewalks and through the trees. It’s unique that way.”

The slice of green solace has two accesses, behind Viking Bank off Hwy 305 and off Caldart across the street from North Kitsap High School.

At either entrance a rugged dirt trail leads into the untamed vegetation, beckoning its lunchtime use like the flute of the Pied Piper.

With each step further along the path the beeps and buzzes of the city lessen as the bird song builds. The trees reach for the sky, the air is sweetly laced with flowers and the South Fork of Dog Fish Creek meanders along.

McCluskey said the park experiences a high volume of traffic, mainly folks using the path as a shortcut through town.

And unfortunately with foot-traffic the city seeps in. A stash of broken Corona beer bottles, Snicker wrappers, Dairy Queen Blizzard cups and cigarette butts crop up.

While the park requires very little maintenance, trash duty is the exception.

Public Works assistant director Dan Wilson said during the school year quite a bit of trash accumulates in Poulsbo’s nature preserve.

Although garbage cans have been placed, little morsels of civilization are still found. Wilson said sometimes they have to drag tires, piping and construction site materials out of the creek. But he said trash is an issue at most of the city parks.

“It’s just one of those things,” Wilson said. “It’s a nice open space to take a walk in and it would be nice if people would help out and keep it picked up so others can enjoy it.”

Granted there’s no pearly gates, but looking at minimal amounts of litter is a small price to pay for enjoying a journey through the divine, without having to leave the comforts of civilization.

Next time the heat rises and there’s time to spare take a walk through Poulsbo’s wild side.

It’s quite refreshing.

North Kitsap Herald North End Reporter, North End Reporter Tara Lemm can be reached at tlemm@northkitsapherald.com or 360-779-4464.

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