One of the region's newest parks, West Hylebos Wetlands Park was created in 2004 after the community and a group called Friends of the Hylebos stewarded a transfer and aggregation of property from the state to the City of Federal Way. In total, the park now protects 120 acres of land, including wetlands, old-growth Sitka spruce (up to 600 years old), and western red cedar stands. The park also features several picnic areas, two small ponds, a 1.7-mile interpretive boardwalk trail system, bird watching platforms, and two historic cabins.
In fact, the 16-by-16-foot Barker Cabin that is located on the park's northern end is Federal Way's oldest standing structure. John Barker (1840-1929) built the cabin on the original 160-acre land claim, and he and his family lived there until 1890.
Built in 1889, the Denny Cabin stands just to the east of the Barker Cabin. Unlike the Barker Cabin, which originally stood only several miles further north near S 312th and S 7th Avenue, the Denny Cabin originally stood in Seattle at the base of Queen Anne, where it was used as a real estate office. The owner, David T. Denny, was one of Seattle's original founders, and he embarked westward on the Oregon Trail in 1851.
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