The most wonderful thing about Bloedel Reserve, set in the northwestern part of Bainbridge Island in Washington, is how the Reserve strikes a balance between natural growth and a manicured garden. This eponymous reserve is named after Virginia and Prentice Bloedel who purchased the land to hold their private residence. Over the years, Prentice Bloedel shaped the land into his own sanctuary with the assistance of notable landscape architects. He was actually color-blind, leading most of his plant and tree decisions to revolve around colors and shades of green with a myriad of shapes and textures. Other gardens that I have visited tend to be more colorful and vivid, making this spot unique. The Bloedels eventually transferred the property to the public for us to enjoy.
Bloedel Reserve
Duration: 2-3 hours
Difficulty: moderately easy
Length: 1.6 miles loop
Danger: none
Exposure: mostly shaded
Crowd factor: moderate
The Bloedel Reserve also has self-guided peaceful nature walks that people can enjoy at their own pace, called “Strolls for Well Being”. It is very easy to relax while walking along the well-designed and well-mainted meandering path. This is probably the first place that I’ve encountered that actively promotes the seemingly therapeutic, calming, and reenergizing parts of taking walks in nature.
Happy travels!
Cat
(Visited in August 2016)
