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Photo essay: Yellow Lake that is not yet yellow

I moved to live in Sammamish at the beginning of 2021. It has been a whole new world compared to the busy University District neighborhood where I used to live. Given the luxury of nature, clean environment, and quiet vibe, I feel very thankful for these surroundings during the intense period of working and studying from home.

After surveying the area, I found out that there is a little lake called Yellow Lake with a loop trail built around it and a nice dock that offers a closer look at the lake. People can take a walk, jog, bird watch, cycle around the lake, or watch ducks or geese floating by harassing each other.

Yellow Lake is a natural lake located in the Klahanie neighborhood in Sammamish. The name came from yellow water lilies in the lake that bloom in spring. This season, I see only a few blooming flowers popping up randomly in the lake. Hopefully, a lot of them will bloom soon, dyeing the lake yellow. 

While digging for the background story of Yellow Lake, I found this stunning video of the lake and the whole neighborhood, drone shot in winter 2019 by Don Stephanian

Now come walk with me. The loop is only about a little over a mile long. I’d like to show you what this little wilderness looks like in spring. Although not whitened with snow, it fills you with warmth, liveliness, and fresh air. 

Dock Entrance
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Dock Entrance
Dock Ramp
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Dock Ramp
Yellow Lake Dock
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Yellow Lake Dock
Water Lily
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Water Lily
Yellow Lake symmetric reflection
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Yellow Lake symmetric reflection
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Lonely Duck
Sunset at the lake
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Sunset at the lake
How many ducks are there?
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian How many ducks are there?
Loop trail around the lake
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Loop trail around the lake
Sunlight shines through the pine curtain
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Sunlight shines through the pine curtain
Glowing leaves
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Glowing leaves
Evergreen residency
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Evergreen residency
Warm canopy
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Warm canopy
Sit, watch, and listen to the nature
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Sit, watch, and listen to the nature
Tighten your shoe strings here and keep walking
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Tighten your shoe strings here and keep walking
Little bunny
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Little bunny
Sign showing the loop trail's distance
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian Sign showing the loop trail’s distance
The trail connects to a playground
Gift Homsaen | The Seattle Collegian The trail connects to a playground

Yellow Lake is open to the public year round. Kids are welcome. If you would like to bring dogs, keep them on a leash. Parking lots are available near the swimming pool and information center or along the street curb. To get there, simply search for “Yellow Lake, Sammamish, WA 98029” on Google map, or check out the map below. It’s about half an hour away from downtown Seattle.

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