PHOTO GALLERY: The Trails and Trees of Big Finn Hill Park

is important not just as 220 acres of native forest smack in the middle of Eastside suburbia, but also as the central link in a wonderful matrix of parks on the hill that totals some 620 acres.

It links 46-acre to the south with 316-acre on the north; nearby on the south is the 40-acre Juanita Woodlands. Together they make Finn Hill the greenest neighborhood of Kirkland, with about 20 miles of trails, and diverse wildlife that includes owls, eagles, woodpeckers, deer, coyote, raccoons, squirrels and others.

Big Finn has been in the news a lot lately, with Fire District 41 and the Kirkland Fire Department proposing to build a new fire station on a controversial 1.8-acre site inside the park.

The park is bisected by Juanita Drive, with about 40 acres on the east side of the road developed into four baseball fields, a soccer field, playground and parking area. The park is owned and managed by King County, which has designated it as a regional park since it draws sports teams from around the area.

It is also increasingly popular with mountain bikers from all over the Seattle area, since its trails are open to riding, are in a beautiful wooded setting and are moderately challenging.

Some eight to 10 miles of trails wind and weave through the forests and are popular with local walker and hikers.

So take a visual tour through the accompanying photos – or better yet, visit the park and take a ride or hike!