Snoqualmie Valley Trail II: Carnation to Snoqualmie Falls

Hike Length: 8 Miles
Elevation Gain: 400 feet
Hike Difficulty: Moderate
Map: King County Bicycling GuideMap
hike overview map


The Snoqualmie Valley Trail, built on the right-of-way of the former Milwaukee Road, offers easy walking through forest and farmland scenery. The gravel-surfaced trail is popular with bikers and horse riders, although you won’t see many on weekdays. The stretch between Carnation and Snoqualmie Falls is perhaps the best part of the trail, as it climbs high above the valley floor and passes vista points, fern-filled ravines with splashing creeks, and three scenic trestle bridges. The south facing slope that the trail traverses catches a lot of sun, making for pleasant walking on a clear winter day. The Tokul Creek Trestle and Snoqualmie Falls provide a dramatic twin finale for this otherwise low-key journey.

Getting there:

From downtown Seattle at 4th and Union, catch either the ST 545 bus and ride it to Redmond Park&Ride [N 47 deg 40 min 36 sec, W 122 deg 07 min 27 sec].

At Redmond, catch the M 929 minibus. Once aboard, sit back and enjoy the long, scenic ride past the rapidly suburbanizing Redmond highlands to the rural Snoqualmie Valley. The bus takes a roundabout route up the valley to Duvall, then heads south past Stillwater before finally reaching Carnation at about 10:42 a.m.

You can get off in downtown Carnation (at Tolt and Bird) and start hiking at the well marked Snoqualmie Valley trailhead located east of downtown on Entwistle street.  [GPS N 47 deg 38 min 57 sec, W 121 deg 54 min 46 sec]. 

However, I advise skipping this part of the trail, which is rather dull. Instead,stay on the bus and ask the driver to let you off at 11th NE, about two miles south of Carnation. A yellow sign marks the intersection of 11th NE with Highway 203. There is no bus stop there, but the driver should be happy to stop given sufficient notice.

There is no weekend bus service to Carnation. A shortened version of this hike can be done on Saturday by taking the M 209 bus from Issaquah and getting off at downtown Fall City. See trip description below.

The Hike:

Carefully cross the busy highway to 11th NE, and follow the road east. Ignore the paved road branching left to Camp Bosco, and stay on 11th NE as it turns to gravel and enters a forest. A quarter mile later, the road makes a bend and intersects the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, which is blocked by metal gates. Turn right (S) onto the wide, gravel-surfaced trail.

At this point, the trail begins a long, barely perceptible climb out of the valley to the top of Snoqualmie Falls seven miles distant. It was an easy grade for the trains that used to run here, and remains easy for tired hikers today. Just a short distance from 11th NE, the trail crosses a long trestle over Griffith Creek, then winds its way past farms and exurban homes before heading into wilder country as it gradually climbs above the Snoqualmie River valley. Occasional openings in the forest provide views out over the valley toward Tiger Mountain; at other points the trail crosses lush ravines with running creeks, some with side trails nearby that invite exploring.

At the four mile point, the trail crosses a high trestle bridge, then reaches a paved road with parking areas for trail users. This road (356th Ave) can be reached on Saturday by the M209 bus from Issaquah, as mentioned in the Weekend Note. If you’re tired, you can also use this road as a bailout point by walking down to the M 209 bus stop on SR 202 (Fall City-Snoqualmie Road).

Continue past the road to the continuation of the trail, which passes some homes featuring the usual barking dogs before reentering wilder country. Eventually the trail leaves the Snoqualmie Valley and instead follows the narrower canyon of Tokul Creek. Noise from a rifle range may greet you here; otherwise its a particularly wild and peaceful section.

Six or so miles past 11th NE, the trail reaches the Tokul Trestle, an awesome piece of railroad engineering spanning the deep and narrow Tokul Creek gorge. Peering over the railing down to the rushing water of the creek a hundred feet below is a vertigo-inducing experience. For an additional exploration,follow an unsigned but well-built trail starting at the west end of the bridge that heads up-canyon. This trail drops a bit to a grove featuring a huge old-growth Douglas Fir. This tree and some others have identifying signs nailed on them; apparently this path was constructed by Waerhauser as a nature trail. The constructed trail continues on up the hill, ending at Tokul Road in about a quarter mile--probably not worth the effort.

To complete the hike, cross the Tokul Trestle and continue on the Snoqualmie Valley trail about a mile to the Tokul Road, where the trail officially ends. The old railroad bed crosses beneath the road via a short tunnel. Leave the trail by climbing up the slope beside the tunnel, then walk right (S) along lightly-travelled Tokul Road for a half mile to an intersection with Mill Pond Road. A few steps beyond is the busy Snoqualmie-Fall City Highway and the Snoqualmie Falls Lodge on the far side. Locate the bus stop for the M 209 and M 929 lines just west of the foot bridge spanning the highway.

Saturday version of the hike:

After getting off the 209 bus in downtown Fall City, walk to the waterfront and follow the river east to the bridge. Cross the bridge and follow the highway a short bit to the roundabout intersection. Follow the Carnation-Fall City road a tenth of a mile to SE 39th, marked by a horse crossing sign. Follow peaceful 39th street to the end, where it turns into a gated forest road. The quiet waters of Ruthorford Slough provide a scenic backdrop for your hike along this stretch. Follow the forest road as it climbs gently uphill and connects with the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. Head east on the SVT to complete the hike as described above.

Getting Back:

Catch the M 209 bus (hourly departures) and ride it to Issaquah Park&Ride. You’ll probably have a bit of a wait for the next bus, so take the opportunity to see the falls and get an espresso at the gift shop. From Issaquah Park&Ride, connections are good to downtown Seattle via the ST 554 bus.

Rev 06.12.08