New edition of local guide book out now

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Have you ever wondered why there are bricks on some of Vashon’s beaches or where the two UFOs are said to have landed on the island? Perhaps you are curious just how much money Mrs. Dilworth paid an island native for a bucket of blackberries or why Lost Lake was once called Spirit Lake and Lizard Lake. Or, if none of these oddball tidbits has caught your fancy, perhaps you are interested in walking the trails and parks on Vashon.

A new edition of Vashon’s go-to local guide book, “Walks, Trails and Parks on Vashon Island” by Ann Spiers, John Gerstle, and Susan Sullivan can answer those questions and more. The fifth edition, at the 15th anniversary of the book’s publication, is out now in time for holiday shopping.

The updated guide includes new trails and new nature, culture and history notes, and was designed by Kathy Fulton. The cover photograph is by Candy Gamble.

While the new edition includes a 2017 King County fold-out map of the island, the book has maintained the same quality of production, exact street directions and beach and trail access points, and it is the same size, which easily fits into a day pack.

This edition is dedicated to Susan Glover Sullivan, an early co-author of the book who died in 2015. She was a microbiologist researcher, mother, wife, grandmother and friend to many.

The guide is available at Vashon Bookshop, Vashon Park District and other island venues. All proceeds go to the park district, which sponsors the guide.