The Snoqualmie Valley Trail I: Duvall to Carnation


Hike Length: 9 miles
Elevation Gain: minimal
Hike Difficulty: moderate
Map: KIng County Bicycling Guidemap
hike overview map


This section of the Snoqualmie Valley Trail offers a long, flat walk through the fields and marshes of the Snoqualmie River flood plain. Birders and wetland enthusiasts will especially enjoy this long trek along the former railroad grade, once a branch of the Milwaukee Road railway. The gravel-surfaced path is friendly to feet and remains free of mud even in the rainiest weather. Part of the trail passes through a state wildlife refuge, where hikers can leave the trail and explore side paths leading to the river’s banks.

Getting There:

Sparse bus service to the Snoqualmie Valley makes access a bit tricky. Hopefully, this will improve in the future.

From downtown Seattle , take the 8:41 or 8:56 a.m. departure of the ST 545 bus to Redmond Park&Ride [GPS N 47 deg 40 min 36 sec, W 122 deg 07 min 27 sec].  The earlier departure allows more margin of error for unexpected delays, the later one reduces wait time in Redmond; take your pick.

Catch the M 929 minibus leaving at 9:54 a.m. from Bay 2 at the Redmond Park&Ride. Ride the bus to the first stop in downtown Duvall, just beyond the point where the bus turns right off the Woodinville-Duvall Road onto Main Street  [N 47 deg 44 min 34 sec, W 121 deg 59 min 10 sec].

There is no bus service on weekends.

The Hike:

Walk south through the historic heart of Duvall to the intersection of Main and Stephens. Along the way, cafes and art galleries occupying the old buildings may tempt you to linger a bit. At Stephens, turn right (west ) and walk downhill past the old Duvall train station building to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, adjacent to McCormick Park. Here, head south along the trail.

The scenery along the Snoqualmie River Valley is gentle, uneventful, and largely unspoiled by development. The trail passes cow-dotted fields and marshes well appreciated by the local duck population. South of 124th Street ( 2 miles from Duvall) the trail parallels busy State Route 203 closely for about two miles, making this stretch a little less enjoyable. At the four mile point, the trail heads away from the highway and passes through the Stillwater Wildlife Refuge. Side paths head through the fields toward the meanders of the Snoqualmie River, tempting explorations for hikers with extra energy.

At the six mile point, the trail passes the second of two parking lot/ access points for the wildlife refuge. Here a tired walker may leave the trail and catch the M 929 bus at the Stillwater Store, located at the intersection of Stillwater Hill Road and SR 203.

Beyond Stillwater the trail once again parts company with SR 203 and cuts through the center of the valley floor. This is a fine stretch of trail, quiet and shaded by large cottonwoods.

At 7.5 miles, the trail crosses SR 203 and heads into the outskirts of Carnation. A park and trailhead parking area is reached at the nine mile point, where the trail crosses Entwistle Street. Go right(west) on Entwistle to reach downtown Carnation and stops for the M 929 bus (there’s a stop at Tolt and Bird, just north of Entwistle). You can while away any extra time by visiting shops in old downtown Carnation, or visiting the library.

Getting Back

It’s possible to get home by taking the M 929 bus in either direction, which makes the sparsely scheduled bus a little more useable. Redmond-bound busses leave Carnation (Tolt and Bird) at 12:09 p.m., 3:47 p.m., and 5:55 p.m. North Bend busses leave the same place at 2:24 p.m. and 5:28 p.m.

If you get on a Redmond-bound M 929 bus, ride it back to Redmond Park and Ride. To get to Seattle, transfer to ST 545.

If you take the North Bend-bound bus, get off at Fall City or ride farther to Snoqualmie Falls( you can do a little sight-seeing here while you wait for the next bus). Transfer to the M 209 bus at either location and ride to Issaquah Park and Ride. To get to downtown Seattle from here, hop on the ST 554 bus.

Rev 02.12.07