During the past three or four months my wife and I have been trying to find time to get the kids out for a walk on the Cross Kirkland Corridor (CKC). Parents know what I am talking about. Week nights never work because there is homework, some sort of activity or in my line of work – breaking news. Weekends can be taken up with play dates, seeing family, celebrating special occasions or in my line of work – breaking news.

Two weeks ago we stumbled upon a rare Saturday with nothing going on. So we packed up the kids, a stroller and some suntan lotion and drove from our home on Finn Hill to Totem Lake.

It was nice to get outside with the kids and get some needed exercise together. We walked from Totem Lake to downtown. Of course we were very glad that we remembered the sunscreen because it was a very sunny day. Our trek down the trail was very enjoyable and I was surprised to see so many walkers and bikers.

When we arrived downtown we got lunch at QFC, sat in Peter Kirk Park under a tree and watched some of the baseball game. The walk back was just as pleasant despite the fact that some little feet were quite tired. In all, we walked 6.5 miles on the trail and a bit more downtown.

The Cross Kirkland Corridor is one of the best things the city has ever done in my opinion. It links the two main business districts of the city together. It gives residents a place to exercise without having to pay for a gym membership. It gives people another place to get out and be in nature in the city – a rarity in some parts of the greater Seattle metro area. It gives families an enjoyable way to spend some needed time together.

It also has historical significance. In a city so rich in parks and open space preservation, the city of Kirkland has, in a sense, made a very long park all the way through the city.

The trail winds through parks, past businesses, over roadways and connects south with north. Much of the trail has nice big trees on either side.

It is also flat, so anyone who is mobile in any way can use the trail.

The addition of a police presence and the allocation of maintenance money announced during the past month will make the trail even more attractive for everyone on the Eastside.

My bet is that the trail will even contribute to the local economy by getting residents out of their homes and luring people from Bellevue, Redmond and even Seattle to Kirkland to spend a few hours or even an entire day on the CKC.

The only down side for us on our walk is that we don’t live within walking or biking distance to the trail. Those who do are very lucky. We live blocks from two major parks and I am not complaining in the least.

But my hope is that the city continues to find ways to connect more Kirkland neighborhoods to this new gem. I realize that Finn Hill may not be an easy connection to the corridor. However, offshoots of the trail deeper into neighborhoods or just working to make walkways and street crossings safer will encourage more people to use it.

The idea of adding light rail to the corridor is probably needed but a bit daunting. I could not imagine where on the corridor it would go and the thought of walking with a train whizzing by could drive some away from the path.

But in any case, if you haven’t walked along the CKC my family recommends it.

Matt Phelps is the regional editor of the Kirkland and BothellKenmore Reporter newspapers.