Waterworks Gardens

On the outskirts of Renton, where what is left of the Black River (or what’s now called the SpringBrook) ends there is a forest. The name of this forest is the Black River Riparian Forest. And it’s beautiful.

Yes. Only minutes from the business bustle, street hustle, and diversity muscle of Renton, sits this modernly ancient forest. Dating back to the origins of the Black River, one can tell that it has been preserved out of the past.

—If one finds it.—

A small part of the Black River Riparian Forest was modified by the King County Wastewater Treatment Division to serve as a combination of art, water treatment, and habitat features. This area is called the Waterworks Gardens.

The Waterworks Gardens is a straight up phenomenon occurring in the Black River Riparian Forest. Designed with a combination of landscape architecture, artistry, and engineering in mind, it’s all that meets the eye. However, all that meets the eye will knock your socks off. Or your shirt. But in the Waterworks Gardens, I ask of you, who needs either?

We throw around the term “hidden gem” practically at will these days. But, let me tell you, the Waterworks Gardens really is a hidden gem in an unassuming area, tucked away in what is now a very industrial area of Renton. Sure, nearby workers of these industrial businesses have discovered a refuge for their meal breaks. But, for the same reason the industrial workers find it so easily, Sue and Leonard Q. Public generally don’t know about it. This adds to the Waterworks Gardens’ mystic persona.

One of the best features is something called "The Grotto" which has elaborate stonework made from recycled granite, marble, and river rock, and is said to be shaped like a seed pod. It alone is worth checking out.

We like talk about the Chupicabra and Bigfoot, which is cool, but sometimes we have something on a very similar mystic scale, with absolute proof of its existence. And for some of us, in our own backyards.

It is located here. Kjell7 News highly endorses a visit.