If you're a first time visitor to the Theler Wetlands, park your vehicle at the Mary E. Theler Community Center & Wetland Trails on State Route 3 across from Belfair Elementary School. You'll see the trailhead and "Welcome" kiosk positioned between the community center and the south parking lot. Your adventure begins right there.

Residents and visitors walk the trails year-round and enjoy the changing seasons of this beautiful jewel in Belfair's backyard. The winter months will amaze you with the highest tides of the year as Hood Canal's salt waters lap at the trail's edge. Springtime brings new growth of many native plants along the trail and in the gardens surrounding the North Mason School District Wetlands Classroom. Summer provides many opportunities for viewing migratory birds and resident wildlife, while fall brings a blazing palette of color and an opportunity to view the endangered run of summer chum salmon as they return to the Union River to spawn. No matter how many times you walk this trail, you'll always see something new, something different and something memorable.

Don't miss the 32-foot gray whale skeleton hanging in the breezeway at the Hood Canal Project Center. Assembled by volunteers, it's an amazing sight. To find out more about the Theler Wetlands, call the Theler Center at (360) 275-4898 or visit www.thelercenter.org.