Iron Horse Trail - John Wayne Pioneer Trail

Our Hiking Time: 3h 30m (biking)
Total Ascent: 450ft
Highest Point: 2400ft
Total Distance: 18 miles
Location: N 47° 23.5620, W 121° 28.4400
Required Permit: Discover Pass
Difficulty: Easy

Snaking along mountainsides from North Bend to Snoqualmie Pass and beyond, our hikes often involve treading on some portion of Iron Horse State Park. Sometimes referred to as the “backbone” of the Mountains-to-Sound Greenway, the 21 miles of the Park that lie between Hyak and the Cedar Falls Trailhead at Rattlesnake Mountain are quite popular, seeing thousands of hikers and bikers a year. We decided it was time to tour this portion of the Park. Because we’d already hiked sections of it, we opted to bike and experience the trail a little differently.

The 110-mile long Iron Horse State Park follows the railbed of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad. The park is the developed portion of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, which continues out to the Idaho border. The Milwaukee Railroad went bankrupt in 1977, and Washington State slowly acquired the land. By the mid-1980s the process of converting the railroad to a multi-use trail had begun.

One of the most popular attractions over the years has been the Snoqualmie Tunnel, often referred to as Tunnel 50.  The two-mile tunnel was bored between 1912 and 1914 by 700 men working from either side and meeting in the middle. After its conversion to a park, the tunnel made for a spooky addition to a hike or ride – dark enough to require a flashlight to navigate, and complete with dripping water, echoing conversations, and the chill of being underground.

Unfortunately, there is no real detour around the tunnel closure, so we had to improvise. We parked at the Annette Lake Trailhead and pushed our bikes two-thirds of a mile to the Iron Horse Trail. Once we got going the ride was a breeze, passing old snow sheds and depots and going over trestles, the relics of the Milwaukee Railroad that add flavor to the flat trail. Although it’s impossible to escape the dull roar of I-90, dozens of creeks and streams offer nice stopping points to trade the noise for the sound of rushing water. A number of campsites also dot the trail, offering a few comfortable places for the long distance hiker or biker to bed down for the night.

Iron Horse State Park is a great way for anyone to experience the Snoqualmie Valley. Whether hiking, biking, jogging or just passing through on your way to another destination, it has something to offer everyone. The wide path also makes this a great way for a larger group to do an activity together and avoid walking single file down the trail. The compact gravel means that the park is stroller and wheelchair friendly.

To get there, take I-90 to exit #32 and turn right, following Cedar Falls Road three and a half miles to the trailhead. Alternatively, when the tunnel reopens, take exit #54 and turn right to Highway 906, also known as Road 2219. Take a left for a half-mile following the signs to Iron Horse State Park. -Nathan

Dingford Creek Road to Trailhead #1005

Our Hiking Time: 3h 30m (on bikes)
Total Ascent: 700ft
Highest Point: 1440ft
Total Distance: 11.5 miles
Location: N 47° 31.0440, W 121° 27.2400
Required Permit: None
Difficulty: Easy

Occasionally, after flipping though guidebooks and finding a hike we want to do, we’ll find that conditions have changed and many miles of road walking are now necessary to access a suddenly distant trailhead. Not easily deterred, this week we came up with a creative solution to our dilemma: incorporating mountain bikes into our hike to cut down time spent plodding down forest roads! Wanting to experiment with the concept before fully committing ourselves to a bike-hike, we decided to head out the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley and test out a currently closed section of Forest Road 56 leading out to the Dingford Creek Bridge.

Typically, a high-clearance vehicle can drive FR 56 to the Dingford Creek Trailhead, however, washouts have temporarily closed the road just across the Taylor River. Fortunately, volunteers working at the Goldmyer Hot Springs still have access to the now locked gate allowing supplies and manpower in and out of the area with relative ease. Currently, efforts are underway to repair this portion of FR 56, but no firm schedule has been determined. We were assured by the Forest Service that the road would open up soon, perhaps as early as this fall.

Our bike trip out to the trailhead was more difficult than we had anticipated. Rocky washouts created troublesome obstacles and unexpected inclines slowed our pace. While the bike ride made short work of friendly sections of the forest road, we found ourselves pushing our bikes up hills and rocky gullies. The scenery was pleasant enough, with maples, alders and ferns lining the roadside. However, by the time we reached our destination, we’d easily expended as much energy as we would have walking the road.

Once at the trailhead, we tromped down to the Taylor River to check out the Dingford Creek Bridge. This turned out to be a pleasant little spot, with more than enough room to support a few campsites. Crossing the bridge connects with the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Trail #1003 and access to Goldmyer Hot Springs. Find a path down to the riverside and enjoy a snack.

Hauling the bikes out to Dingford Creek really helped us to realize how much we prefer hiking to biking.

Had the road been in great shape, we might have had an easier time of it, but as it turned out, we ultimately decided that bike-hikes were best left to better-maintained roads, which might leave us with some energy for the climb up. Hikes such as Hester and Myrtle Lakes – both accessible from the Dingford Creek Trailhead – are still on our list, we’ll just have to leave the bikes behind and plan for a longer day. To get there, take Exit 34 off I-90 and take a left on 468th Ave. Follow the road past the truck stop for about a half-mile until you reach SE Middle Fork Road, also known as Forest Road 56. Continue to follow the twists in the road until the pavement runs out. Continue on FR 56 for 12 miles, crossing the Taylor River. Once across, FR 56 veers to the right while the Taylor River Road continues another quarter mile to the Snoqualmie Lake Trailhead. Find a spot to park at the gate and hit the trail. -Nathan