- Touchet Formation (Wikipedia)
The Touchet Formation or Touchet beds consist of well-bedded, coarse to fine sand and silt which overlays local bedrock composed of Neogene basalt of the Columbia River Basalt Group in south-central Washington and north-central Oregon. The beds consist of more than 40 to 62 distinct rhythmites – horizontal layers of sediment, each clearly demarcated from the layer below. These Touchet beds are often covered by windblown loess which were deposited later; the number of layers varies with location. The beds vary in thickness from 330 ft (100 m) at lower elevations where a number of layers can be found to a few extremely thin layers at the maximum elevation where they are observed (1,150 ft (350 m)).
Washington Trails Association
- Paradise Valley Conservation Area (wta.org)
This wild wood started out as a working farm and timber producing homestead over one hundred years ago. It became part of the Snohomish County Park system in 2000, and now is in the process of returning to the wild state it once was. We hikers can watch this dynamic landscape by following the many trails that run through it. The trails are all well signed and a map can be printed or downloaded to your smartphone from the Snohomish County Parks website. Hike the perimeter trails for a good sampling of the area and a nice hike of about 5 miles.