Klahanie to Soaring Eagle Park

Hike Length: 6 miles or more
Elevation Gain: minimal
Hike Difficulty: easy
Map: Sammamish Street Map, King County BikeMap
hike overview map


The city of Sammamish has some fine parks hidden away amidst the suburban sprawl. This hike links three of these parks--Klahanie Park, Beaver Lake Park, and Soaring Eagle Park--to provide you with a full day’s pedestrian pleasure.

King County’s Soaring Eagle Park, formerly known as Section 63 Open Space, has over 600 acres and 20 miles or so of trails interlacing a hilly, forested plateau. You could spend days walking yourself silly in that park’s maze like network of paths.

Getting there:

From Downtown Seattle, catch the eastbound ST 554 bus, and ride it to the Issaquah Park and Ride [GPS N 47 deg 32 min 32 sec, W 122 deg 03 min 44 sec].

At Issaquah Park and Ride, transfer to the hourly M927 bus. Ride it to Klahanie Drive, and get off at the stop near the Challenger Elementary School [N 47 deg 34 min 35 sec, W 122 deg 00 min 17 sec].

Bus service is available on weekends

The Hike:

Just west of the school is Klahanie Park, with a parking lot, clean restrooms, and a spacious sports field. Walk north into the park, following a paved path under high-voltage power lines. The path dips into the valley containing Queenslake Bog; looking back, you get a good view of Tiger Mountain. In a half mile, the trail joins up with a paved trail (the Klahanie perimeter trail) running along the south side of SE 32nd Street. Go left (west) along this trail as far as 244th Ave. Or if you want more adventure, follow any one of a number of rude dirt trails penetrating the forest around Queenslake Bog. No matter which trail you take, eventually you will emerge onto the path paralleling SE 32nd.

To continue the hike, cross SE 32nd St and head north along 244th Ave a quarter mile to the entrance of Beaver Lake Park. Owned by the City of Sammamish, Beaver Lake Park occupies a shallow valley containing a major branch of the delightfully named Laughing Jacobs Creek. The east and west ends of the park are more or less developed, while the center features a thickly wooded mini-wilderness. Walk into the park (heading east), following the driveway that skirts a sports field and ends at a parking lot. Keep going east to a power line corridor cutting through the park. A wall of trees looms beyond the power lines. Look for a trail diving into the woods near the south edge of the park.

This delightful forest trail winds through the wild heart of Beaver Lake Park, where the sights and sounds of civilization seem far away. Eventually the trail crosses Laughing Jacobs Creek and arrives at a lawn on the shore of Beaver Lake. Picnic tables scattered about invite you to take a break at this pretty spot.

To continue the hike from here, walk to the parking lot and entrance just north of the lake, and then follow Beaver Lake Drive as it winds east and north. The road walking here is not too bad as the traffic is light, trees provide shade, and there is a pedestrian-friendly gravel “sidewalk” to walk on. After a mile, look for a trail heading left (north) into the woods, marked by a sign. Wide gravel pullouts along Beaver Lake Drive, often with cars parked in them, also indicate the location of this trail.

This trail provides access to Soaring Eagle Park, which is owned by King County. Follow this trail’s many twists and turns to the park boundary, marked by a King County sign. At one point you may be surprised to here the thwack of clubs hitting golf balls; a golf course is located near to the trail. The legal status of the trial is somewhat in doubt as part of it is located on private land. A sign mentions this fact, but doesn’t really say you can’t use the trail (the City of Sammamish seems really skittish about private property rights and has in the past not been very proactive about preserving walking corridors). If you encounter a problem, you should be able to get to Soaring Eagle Park through the nearby Trossachs development, located further down the Beaver Lake road.

The distance to Soaring Eagle Park is only a half mile, but seems longer due to the contorted layout of the trail. Once in the park, you immediately arrive at a complex junction (called Grand Junction); to sort out the confusion, King County has posted a map of the trail system. Study the map, then head out into the wild wood depths of the 600 acre preserve. The main users of the park seem to be mountain bikers. There’s little in the way of views or definite destinations in the park, which occupies a gently rumpled, forested plateau laced with trickling creeks and ponds. Just follow your whims and wander about until you are ready to go back.

Return to Klahanie via the same way you came in.

Getting Back

You can catch the M 927 bus anywhere on Klahanie Drive. Ride the M 927 bus back to Issaquah Park and Ride. From there, return to downtown Seattle via the ST 554 bus.

Rev 02.12.06