Metro Parks Tacoma will mark the grand opening of a nature-inspired playground this weekend at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park.

The one-of-a-kind playground experience Kids’ Trek offers toddlers and tweens the opportunity to climb through a massive, old growth “tree trunk” with multiple nets; slide through a dark tunnel and down a 15-foot pole; splash in the bubbling stream and cascading waterfall, alongside two whimsical “river otters”; run across a swaying clatter bridge and cargo-style nets; balance on the giant Eagles’ Nest and log “stepping stones”; explore a “beaver lodge” and root wad cave; build forts with tumbled sticks in the construction zone; sculpt sand structures with buckets, shovels, and a weeping rock that keeps the sand moist; count the rings in a massive tree slice; play in old-fashioned log cabins in the special toddler area; and touch animal pelts and identify dozens of animal tracks.

The Kids’ Trek grand opening celebration will be held on Sat., April 2, beginning at 10 a.m., at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, located at 11610 Trek Drive East, in Eatonville. Each visit to Kids’ Trek is free with admission or membership. The play area is open daily during regular operating hours. More information is available online here.

To read the Tacoma Daily Index‘s complete and comprehensive coverage of Kids’ Trek at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, click on the following links:

• Northwest Trek: 7 contractors bid on half-acre Kids’ Zone project (Tacoma Daily Index, Nov. 3, 2014)
• Half-acre Kids’ Zone planned for Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (Tacoma Daily Index, Oct. 7, 2014)