This is a special place on the Duwamish River.  It is the only remaining piece of the original river before it was dredged and made the industrial waterway it is today.

Kellogg Island is really the tip of the much larger Edwards Island. The river had several salt marsh islands in the tide flats that stretched into Elliott Bay that sustained both man, fowl and beast.

On My Duwamish Adventure I finally got to the southern tip of the island and the backwater that goes around it.  This is to the north of Lafarge Cement and to the south of Herring’s House Park.  The Duwamish Trail until this point follows along West Marginal Way between the road and the industrial businesses that border the river.  After one passes the cement plant it turns towards the river.  Kind of unusual how there are two railroad cars parked to either side of the trail as it crosses the tracks.  Like going down the rabbit hole.

When you pass between the cars you go into a natural setting vs the mankind type.  It gave me a good view of the southern end of the island and how the backwater has barges and tugs tied up there.

You can see the cement plant on the right and the edge of Kellogg Island on the left. Straight ahead is the main Duwamish River Waterway where you see the Matson barges and cranes. While I was standing there I caught a tug chugging towards the bay.  Behind all this stuff is the Georgetown Reach.  That is another inlet left over from the straightening process.  Maybe once I get done walking the west side of the river I can get some photos of it.

Back to the moored barges and tugs between Lafarge and the island.  Wonder if they belong to the plant or someone else is just parking them there since it is out of the way of boat traffic and easy to get to. I have seen the backwater almost void of water at really low tides, so wonder if this end is deeper than the rest?

Back here in the wonderland behind the rabbit hole entrance (two rail cars), is a paved path more like what I encountered down the Green River Trail.  On one side was the river with madrona trees and other brush.  The other side is a chain link fence with stacked container trailers.

Down a ways from this shot I found a little landing where there used to be a homeless home dug into the bank.  Now it makes a good site to take a few pictures of the water and island. The island is a natural place not much changed from when it was chopped off from the larger island. The north end is tidal flat like and floods at high tide but the southern end is high enough that it is a true island with trees, brambles and grass.  Crows, Kingfishers, Herons, several species of ducks, gulls and cormorants all inhabit this place wedged between man and nature.

Looming in the north is the high-rise West Seattle Bridge.  That bridge has a history of its own and here is a little excerpt from Wiki.

The high-level West Seattle Bridge, officially the Jeanette Williams Memorial Bridge, is a cantilevered segmental bridge that serves as the primary connection between West Seattle and the rest of the city. It was built between 1981 and 1984 after the previous bascule bridge was deemed inoperable as a result of being struck by the freighter Antonio Chavez in 1978

If you look real close you can see the Seattle skyline and the Space Needle.  I zoomed in a little more so you can see it in the next picture.  What a combination of man and nature.

I leave you with a float that is a bird hang out. Next visit will be to the northern end of Kellogg Island and the parks along the Duwamish there.  And when I say the north end of the island, I won’t be setting foot on the island. That would take a boat I don’t have and swimming in the river during the winter is not an option either.

To see more of my Duwamish Adventure I have a directory post that links all of the pieces together.  You can find that post here – My Duwamish Adventure Directory