The trails at Talking Water Gardens have a new layer of compacted gravel, great for walking and not bad for bikes.
Late October is as good a time as any for a visit to Albany’s Talking Water Gardens, and I did a circuit of the major paths on the bike in the middle of last week.
The first thing I noticed was that the trails had a new layer of fine gravel, just right for a smooth ride on a mountain bike. I vaguely remembered reading an online public notice of Talking Water maintenance work a couple of weeks before. I assumed the improved surface was the result of that work.
To confirm, I checked with Kristin Preston, the manager of operations in Albany Public Works.
“This trail work was done the week of Oct. 14 and the end of last week when contractors added a fresh layer of compacted gravel to most of the gravel paths,” she told me via email Tuesday. “This is part of routine trail maintenance that’s done every few years or as needed, which helps improve the surface to keep the paths walkable and accessible and to reduce ponding in the winter.”
On a previous visit, even though it has fat tires, the bike got bogged down on one of the loops through Talking Waters that was covered with wood chips. I avoided that particular path this time.
“Yes, the wood chip trails are more ‘rustic’ and they may feel like more of a hike to walk around but aren’t designated as wheelchair accessible trails as much of the gravel paths are,” Preston wrote. “It was part of the design of Talking Water Gardens to have a mix of trail types.”
The trails in this engineered complex of waterways, at the north end of Waverly Drive and technically in Millersburg, are built for leisurely walks while enjoying the birds and other wildlife. But they’re not bad for a slow bike ride either.
If you haven’t been to the Talking Water Gardens in a while, go take a look this fall and see how much everything has grown. And how well the trails are maintained. (hh)
One of the waterfalls at Talking Waters. You might call this a “shadow selfie.”
Looking over the fence at First Lake, between Talking Waters and the Willamette River.
Lovely pics – one of my favorite walking areas – thanks for sharing.