Victory! We're delivering on a 20-year vision to finish the East Lake Sammamish Trail
After decades of advocacy, the East Lake Sammamish Trail has cleared the final hurdle. We’re in it for the long haul to see this trail completed. Together, we’ve been there every step of the way.
Finally! The permit is in-hand for King County to construct the last 3.6 miles of the East Lake Sammamish Trail!
In spring 2020, King County will begin work to close the last gap in a vital trail corridor from Issaquah to Redmond. The East Lake Sammamish Trail has long been the focus of our collective advocacy--and through lawsuits, letter-writing, and countless hours of testimony to decision-makers, we've stuck to it!
When completed, the trail will fill a major gap in the 44-mile Locks to Lakes Corridor, which stretches from the Ballard Locks in Seattle to Issaquah and the foothills of the Cascades via the Burke-Gilman, Sammamish River, and East Lake Sammamish trails.
For people who walk, bike, and run, the completed East Lake Sammamish Trail connects Sammamish to Issaquah and Redmond, and then to the forthcoming regional light rail network. It also provides a safe, connected, and protected alternative to the East Lake Sammamish Parkway road.
How we got here: this spring, the East Lake Sammamish Trail made it one step closer to completion when King County got the green light to design the final segment of the trail, South Sammamish Segment B, connecting 3.6 miles from SE 33rd St to Inglewood Hill Road.
We’re in it for the long haul to see a safe East Lake Sammamish Trail built to regional trail standards. And we’ve been there—together—every step of the way so far.
For Cascade Bicycle Club, the East Lake Sammamish Trail is a project that has spanned two decades of work and hundreds of volunteer and staff hours. Once it’s complete, the trail will carry an estimated 5-7,000 people per day by foot and by bike.
The trail’s legacy for future generations can’t be overstated: Our region is growing. Preserving natural spaces now and setting aside dedicated places for active transportation and recreation is essential to keep us connected to what’s important, and to give us, and our children, travel options that will keep us safe and healthy.
By clearing the final hurdle, we’ve scored a major victory for trail riders in East King County!
But this is just one of dozens of trails we are working to build throughout our region. We’re in it to win it. And we think you are, too. If you’re with us to connect the Puget Sound region by bike, donate today and let’s make this region a great place for everyone to bike, walk, and roll.
We can’t make this region a great place to ride without you.Thank you for standing alongside us to make our cities greener and our trails complete.
Images from the archives:
Jan Bird, a long-time trails advocate, tabling at the Sammamish Farmers Market
Many celebrations throughout the years marked progress, including this ribbon-cutting:
Breaking ground in Sammamish to connect the trail:
WSDOT installed bicycle and pedestrian counters to improve our collective understanding of how many people use trails:
2018 saw the opening of South Segment A, connecting from the Issaquah city limits to near SE 33rd St in Sammamish:
2002 celebration with County Executive Ron Sims, Sammamish Mayor Michele Pettiti, and many other leaders and trail advocates (photo by Carry Porter):
Share this post
