Geysers, earthquakes and the Green River are part of Flaming Geyser State Park’s story.
The 40-acre day-use park, in King County, is 2 1/2 miles south of Black Diamond off Highway 169, in an area once mined for coal, clay and cinnabar (mercury-containing ore).
Despite the “flaming” part, don’t expect a fire-breathing dragon. Methane seeps out of an old test bore, drilled about 1911, into a coal seam hundreds of feet below.
Methane (and water) blew out of the hole, about 20 feet high, said Davida Hendrickson, park office assistant. By the 1920s, the area was a private park to take advantage of the show. The state parks took over in the 1960s.
Now, it’s more like a fire-breathing lizard. The 6-inch flame is in a concrete cylinder that’s surrounded by a fence, a mere reminder of the coal beneath visitors’ feet.
Hard to believe it was once featured in a “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” article.
Earthquakes are at least partly to blame for the shrinkage.
“Each time there was an earthquake, there was less and less of the flame. The Nisqually earthquake knocked it down significantly,” Hendrickson said.
The original seepage also created the Bubbling Geyser, about a 3-foot square of mud bubbling with methane gas.
Last fall the park suffered an all-out power, water and sewage failure and just reopened this week, though work continues on the problem. The $3.47-million project could last two years, but the park should remain open.
Access to three miles of Green River shoreline, picnic areas, portable toilets and one ADA-accessible bathroom are open. Short trails can be connected for longer walks through forest, meadows and to the river.
Whitewater rafters and kayakers can put in the Green River by shelter three, and some commercial rafting groups launch here.
Area manager Jeff Vassallo cautions the inexperienced about the fun. Inner tubes are not appropriate (not that that stops anyone), he said, because of the woody debris, logs and unpredictable river levels.
Even when the flow is slow, inner tubes have no steering devices and can be drawn into and pinned against shoreline debris. It’s especially dangerous for children.
Helping out: Training for the Monte Cristo Stewards program begins June 5. Volunteers will teach about the natural and historic beauty of the area this summer, as well as take care of cabins, camp areas, information boards, registration boxes and trails.
Training is 8:30 a.m. to noon June 5 at the Verlot Public Service Center. For information, call the Darrington Ranger District, 360-436-1155.
Eyeball to eyeball: Woodland Park Zoo is again offering its Eye-to-Eye tours. Zookeepers guide groups behind the scenes and offer chances to get up close to some of the animals.
Tours are offered June 5 to Aug. 21 and include Northern Trail: North American Wonders, Savanna Safari: Sticking Your Neck Out, Tropical Rain Forest: Warm and Wild, and Lizards and Wizards.
Cost is $55 per person for nonmembers. Children must be age 8 or older. Registration is required, and should be done soon. Call 206-548-2424 for information, or go to www.zoo.org.
Volunteers set record: Volunteers in the state parks logged 326,800 hours last year, the equivalent of work of 157 full-time employees worth $4.2 million, according to the State Parks Volunteer Program’s annual report.
It is the fifth-straight annual increase in volunteer hours, the highest on record. The Volunteer Program, which launched in 1980, began with just 31 people donating 1,426 hours.
Applications for volunteering at state parks are available. Call 360-902-8583, or go to www.parks.wa.gov/volunteers.
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.
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