Chambers Creek Labyrinth

Last Sunday our family visited Chambers Creek Properties (CCP) in University Place, WA. It has several trails and is a wonderful place to walk. We hadn't walked there in a long time (years, maybe?), but we had hoped to walk along the trail that runs above the Chambers Bay Golf Course because it has gorgeous views of the Puget Sound. (Now I know the trail we had in mind is called the GrandView Trail.) The sun was getting low, and I was sure it would be beautiful!

And wouldn't you know it? That trail was closed: they were getting ready for the 2010 U.S. Amateur Championship on August 23rd - 29th. I felt so disappointed to not be able to walk there.

We enjoyed our time anyway as we turned our attention instead to the Environmental Services Area Trails nearby. That's not a very pretty name, is it? but it's utilitarian and descriptive. The trails are on the grounds around the Environmental Services Building, and those who created and care for that area have provided a well-maintained, truly pleasant place to walk and spend time. Pierce County's website describes it this way:

Located on the grounds around the Environmental Services Building, the walking paths provide citizens an opportunity to view a reclaimed gravel pit. Once a former county road shop, the site now contains two multi-purpose playfields, the Chambers Creek Labyrinth, native plantings, interpretive signage, and a stormwater demonstration garden.

We especially liked the labyrinth there. Do you know what a labyrinth is? Unless you realized what you were looking at, you might just think you were looking at a big circle paved with stones, and that's it. But it's not! The stones are set up so that there is a very circuitous pathway to the center of the circle. It's supposed to be a place of tranquility and contemplation.

My kids love following the paths on labyrinths. They are still working on the contemplation part (my youngest is in the "I need to finish first" stage right now and refuses to go slowly ;)), but they enjoy following the path and completing the labyrinth.

Some people get labyrinths confused with mazes (I know I did!). Here is how the Pierce County's page about the Chambers Creek Labyrinth explains what labyrinths are and their difference from mazes:

A labyrinth has only one path. The continuous path leads you to the center and out again. The completion of a labyrinth involves intuition, creativity, and imagery.

A maze is a puzzle to be solved. It has twists and turns, and choices to be made. It requires logical, sequential, analytical thinking to find the correct path through the maze.

Here are a few pictures of the Chambers Creek Labyrinth with some shadow shots for Shadow Shot Sunday.

walking the labyrinth

they made it to the center!

shadows of my husband and me

closeup of the stones

finishing up!

rest