You won't find any traffic jams on this rural gem

NORTH BEND -- The Snoqualmie Valley Trail threads a 31-mile ribbon through the green of rural east King County, lacing the forested foothills of the Cascades with the rich, wet bottomlands on the river of the same name. The former railroad route weaves through forests of Douglas fir, red cedar and western hemlock, over crashing streams on high wooden trestles, under the stony prominence of Mount Si, through maple and alder woodlands and bird-rich meadows and wetlands.

The trail is also pretty lonely.

While the Burke-Gilman and Sammamish River rail-trails closer to Seattle buzz and bustle with skaters, bikers, joggers and walkers, on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail you'll find the odd mountain biker, runner, birder or berry picker.

"It's like a hidden gem waiting to be discovered," says Tom Eksten, King County's trails coordinator. "If you're looking to get away, this is a nice place to go. It's long been one of my favorites."

The Snoqualmie Valley Trail operated as a line of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad until it was abandoned in 1977 and acquired by King County for use as a recreational path.

It's southern end is at the big regional trails hub at Rattlesnake Lake near North Bend, also trailhead for the John Wayne Trail east to the Columbia River and the popular Rattlesnake Ledges/Mountain trail. Its official northern end is at the town of Duvall, 31 miles away; another five miles of unimproved rail bed continues north.

The trail's surface is not paved, but hard and fast, consisting of compacted crushed rock atop the heavy railroad ballast.

That makes it ideal for any medium- to fat-tire bicycle, and riding the entire 31 miles from Rattlesnake Lake to Duvall is an excellent day's ride, with opportunities to stop and snack in North Bend, Snoqualmie, Carnation and Duvall. Wide and mostly flat with no grade greater than 2 percent, it is not the challenging "single track" favored by avid mountain bikers or hard-core trail runners, but it is ideal for families, dog walkers, hikers and joggers.

The Snoqualmie Valley Trail is not completely unknown. Residents of the valley use it, and mountain bikers also ride it to reach more challenging single track in the Tokul Creek region.

"It is popular with people who live in North Bend, Fall City and Carnation," says Ken Konigsmark, longtime trails activist who lives nearby in Preston. "You see people out picking berries and horse riders use it. But it's not gotten the recognition it deserves."

JOSHUA TRUJILLO / P-I

Barbara Bjeletich can't resist popping a cheery bloom under her helmet strap.

It is not a mountain trail with sweeping alpine vistas and remote wilderness. It's a rural trail that passes through towns, residential areas and farms and is never far from a road. But as such it is surprisingly wild in places and lined with intriguing spots and sights.

Ride its length, or hike it in sections, and you really get a sense for the rural character of eastern King County.

"You can look at the Burke-Gilman as the urban King County trail and the Sammamish River Trail is the suburban King County trail, and this trail as the rural King County trail," says Konigsmark. "You pass farms, forests, quaint little homes with horses and cows."

The trail also passes through several large parcels of preserved open space, including the 418-acre Three Forks Natural Area and the former Meadowbrook (460 acres) and Tollgate (400 acres) farms between the towns of North Bend and Snoqualmie. In the lower valley, the trail crosses the 456-acre Stillwater Wildlife Recreation Area.

Birding can be excellent. On a recent bicycle ride of the entire trail, species spotted included goldfinch, brown creeper, pileated woodpecker, rufous hummingbird, red-tailed hawk and an American bittern, a large, beautiful and uncommon wading bird that flew over the trail between marshes.

The trail is continuous except for one break in the Snoqualmie area where a mile of road connects the two sections.

Although the grade is never steep, the trail does lose several hundred feet of elevation over its length. Most who ride it all start at the high end at Rattlesnake Lake. From the ample parking area here, head north past the Rattlesnake Ledges trailhead and cross Cedar Falls Road Southeast to find the gravel path.

JOSHUA TRUJILLO / P-I

Daisies and foxglove greet Barbara Bjeletich. Forests, streams and birds also accent the route.

After less than a mile of passing homes, the trail drops into quiet, wild forest, with large fir and cedar. In less than two miles you'll reach the first of several high wooden trestles, this one about 90 feet above Box Creek. Various trails here wander the woods, 180 acres of which are owned by the county. Care should be exercised, however, along most of the trail, since it is largely bordered by private property, much of it posted against trespassing.

Here around the Box Creek trestle though, feel free to wander and don't be surprised if you head up the stream and it disappears. Eksten says its source nearby is subterranean "groundwater recharge."

The trail continues to drop through forests -- here we watched a mink dash across the path -- with homes here and there and glimpses of Mount Teneriffe before crossing the South Fork Snoqualmie River, passing under humming Interstate 90 and heading northwesterly toward North Bend. Here is perhaps the most mundane stretch of the trail, largely through residential areas, but visual relief is ever present over your shoulder.

Here looms the rocky mound of 4,167 Mount Si -- see at the base its rock sibling, 1,576-foot Little Si.

Soon you'll enter the town proper and pass a small park that is an optional access point. And soon comes a quiet, wet world of marshes and meadows. This is a corner of the contiguous Three Forks/Meadowbrook/Tollgate oasis of green, with birds a-singing and a-winging. If you packed binoculars, this is a good first stop. Wander, listen and look.

Back on the trail, you soon might feel the urge to duck. You've entered Mount Si Golf Course, through which the trail passes, before entering more Tollgate greenery and ending abruptly at the end of a bridge over the main Snoqualmie River. Bump down the stairs to Reinig Road, another optional access point.

JOSHUA TRUJILLO / P-I

Near Snoqualmie, Chris Brown takes a dip in style close to an old railroad trestle that carries the Snoqualmie Valley Trail over the Snoqualmie River.

This is the break in the trail. To find the other link, head left a short distance on Reinig to a Y. Stay right, onto Mill Pond Road, and pedal past the pond and its defunct mill. At the next intersection, go right on Tokul Creek Road Southeast. But first look left, not only for traffic but also to see the Snoqualmie Falls Lodge. If you want to check out the falls, the observation deck is right there, a couple of minutes away.

Head uphill on Tokul Road less than a half-mile and look for the trail again emerging on the left from a huge culvert under the road. The woods here are wild again and, in less than a mile, you reach the coolest of the trail's trestles, bending through and above the small canyon of Tokul Creek 150 feet below. This is an impressive old structure and worth a stop. Also glance upstream and see a small falls on the creek.

This portion of the trail, from here almost to Carnation, is crisscrossed by rough but distinct paths, some of which loop around to meet the trail again and some of which lead to mountain bike/horse-riding trails on land owned by Hancock Timber, which permits that type of use. But there's a lot of private property here that is posted.

Note in this region, and many other spots along the trail, pink Nootka rose blossoms, wild geraniums, daisies and, here and there, tiger lilies.

From the Tokul Creek trestle to a smaller one over Griffin Creek south of Carnation, about six to eight miles, is the most remote stretch of the trail. There is said to be a network of horse/mountain bike trails just east in the Griffin Creek area, on Hancock land.

North of Griffin Creek you'll pass homes, ranches and Remlinger Farms, with you-pick-'em berries, a train ride for kids and other attractions.

JOSHUA TRUJILLO / P-I

Rico Aguirre does a bunny hop along a wide-open stretch of the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. The roomy and uncrowded gravel path follows an abandoned railroad route in the Cascade foothills for most of its 31 placid miles from Duvall in the north to Rattlesnake Lake south of Interstate 90, with several access points along the way.

The next bridge spans the Tolt River, beyond which you enter Carnation, an opportunity to stop for refreshments.

Just north, the trail crosses busy state Route 203. This is the trail's most dangerous road crossing, so use caution.

In a click you're into the marshy Stillwater Wildlife Area, full of birds usually, and the wetlands, with occasional sightings of feathers and farms all the way to Duvall, which offers several dining establishments.

Treat yourself here.

You've just ridden 31 miles and worked up an appetite by tasting a slice of old King County.

Trail log

• For basic details about the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, see www.metrokc.gov/parks/trails/trails/snoqv.htm, then click on Arts & Recreation, then Regional Trails.

• Main access points include Rattlesnake Lake off I-90, Exit 32, a small park in North Bend at Northwest Fourth Street and Balart Avenue, a rough gravel area at the bridge over the Snoqualmie River on Southeast Reinig Road in Snoqualmie, at 356th Drive Southeast outside of Fall City (via state Route 202), Loutsis Park off Entwhistle Street in Carnation, Duvall Park along state Route 203 south of Duvall and at McCormick Park right in Duvall.

• A short section of the trail, where it crosses 124th Street south of Duvall, will be closed through tomorrow due to a road construction project.

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