Earlier this year I joined a 100km “PruBaix” ride hosted by Michael Pruitt on the east side that connected the Tolt Pipeline Trail, the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, and the East Lake Sammamish Trail. Michael proudly estimated that route as being 85% on multi-use trails. As we chatted during the ride he explained how he thought the route was a great example of the robustness of King County’s trail infrastructure.
I’d guess that most riders would find that “PruBaix” route easy except parts of the Tolt Pipeline Trail, which has some difficult, short, steep climbs. And, some of the connections between the three major trails were on single track where mountain biking skills were helpful.
The Snoqualmie Valley Trail section really stood out to me, and I’ve been looking for an opportunity to return ever since.
Recently, cyling matriarch Martha Walsh has been putting together some interesting off-road rides, and a Facebook post by her about an out-and-back along the full length of the SVT was all the motivation I needed.
Although the Snoqualmie Valley Trail starts in Duvall, my wife and I decided on an out-and-back from Carnation. We live in Seattle’s Central District, and I’m generally dis-inclined to drive to rides in King County, but on a gorgeous sunny late summer day it was worth it. Carnation is about 40 minutes from Seattle.
We started at Nick Loutsis Park. The small parking lot was full, but there was plenty of street parking. There is a port-a-pottie.
The Snoqualmie Valley Trail is an old railroad grade, and the inclines are gradual. From Nick Loutsis Park the trail climbs 500′ over ~10 miles to Tokul Rd SE. in Snoqualmie. As you climb, stop to enjoy the views from several trestles along the way. At Tokul Rd SE you need to do a short hike up to the road. Ride on the road for about 2 miles to reconnect with the Trail at a restored trestle on Mill Pond Rd. Climb the stairs up to the trestle and continue another ~9 miles to Rattlesnake Lake.
The link between Tokul Rd and the trestle on SE Mill Pond Rd does not have great signage, so take care lest you end up on the road between Snoqualmie and North Bend, which is not great for cyclists.
At Rattlesnake Lake you can connect with the Iron Horse Trail/John Wayne Trail which passes though the Snoqualmie Tunnel to Hyak and points east. My wife thought the Snoqualmie Valley Trail was more scenic than the Iron Horse Trail since it has beautiful vistas of Mt. Si on the approaches to North Bend.
If you like to have pie with your bike rides, make a detour to Twede’s Cafe in North Bend to sample a slice of “Twin Peaks Cherry Pie.” Martha says she very much enjoyed a coffee/pastry stop at Pioneer Coffee Roasting Company.
The section from Rattlesnake Lake and North Bend portion might be a perfect one-way car shuttle (almost all a gentle downhill) ride for families with younger kids.
Round trip, we ended up with about 45 miles and 1,400′ of climbing. The surface is packed gravel, and in my opinion quite rideable with a road bike with 25c tires ridden at a low pressure. We were on all-road bikes with 32c tires at about 60 lbs.
Since it’s an out-and-back, this is a family-friendly route (meaning you can turn back at any time), is a user-friendly introduction to gravel cycling, and is a great option if you or your cycling buddies hate riding with automobiles.
