Snoqualmie's Newest Mile of River Trail Is Open. Here's How to Walk It This Fall.

Where does the new trail off Railroad Avenue go, and why does it stop where it does?

The first answer is short. The north section of the Snoqualmie River Walk is a one-mile soft-surface trail along the river between Kimball Creek and approximately Northern Street. The City of Snoqualmie cut the ribbon on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. The second answer goes back more than a decade. This mile is the first completed piece of a planned three-mile loop. When the loop is done, it is meant to connect the area near Snoqualmie Falls with historic downtown and Meadowbrook. The trail ends where it does because the rest of the loop is still waiting on land and money.

Getting On the Trail

The entrance sits just south of Kimball Creek on the east side of Railroad Avenue, which is also SR 202. The City has not confirmed a dedicated trailhead lot or a street number. For the ribbon-cutting, it gave attendees this route:

1. Park on the west side of Railroad Avenue.
2. Cross SR 202 at the marked crosswalk.
3. Walk north toward Kimball Creek to the trail entrance.

Those were opening-day directions, not a permanent parking plan. Still, they're the clearest guidance the City has published. Once you're on the trail, you follow the shoreline toward Northern Street. That stretch of riverbank was cleared of invasive plants, and the trees that shade and cool the river were kept.

Sources don't fully agree on where the north end lands. The City's announcement and event listing say approximately Northern Street. A King County TV segment posted September 22 describes the path as running between Kimball Creek and Sandy Cove Park. The City's 2024 environmental checklist said a link to Sandy Cove Park depended on securing property or easements and funding. Until signs on the ground say otherwise, plan on Northern Street as the end.

The Plan Behind the Path

The trail's history is also why the north section looks the way it does. The City describes the overall project as a multi-phase effort that will "remove flood-prone properties from the Snoqualmie riverfront," build the three-mile loop, and restore riparian habitat along the way. The trail and the restoration were planned as one project from the start.

The groundwork started well before any trail crews arrived. Living Snoqualmie reported in May 2016 that the city had bought four Park Street properties in 2013 without using eminent domain. The plan for that "High Density Restoration Area" was to remove the houses and naturalize and stabilize the riverbank. A photo caption in the same story dates one demolition to May 2, 2016. That April, the Snoqualmie Valley Record reported that the city had authorized accepting a $500,000 state Recreation and Conservation Office grant to expand Riverview Park. The grant covered buying and removing two homes, a trail connection, invasive-plant removal and a viewpoint, and it required a 50 percent match. City associate planner Nicole Sanders told the paper the city would not use eminent domain to force a sale.

That decade explains the trail's pace. The loop needs riverfront land, the city has acquired it one voluntary sale at a time, and each piece of trail can only follow the land.

Construction came next. On September 8, 2025, the City Council unanimously approved a contract of roughly $2 million with Accord Contractors to build the first phase, which the city calls Rivertrail Northwest of Sandy Cove. Mayor Katherine Ross put the timeline plainly at the time:

"Planned for over a decade, the Rivertrail project will better connect areas of downtown with new soft surface trails, which will increase access for residents and visitors to enjoy the scenic beauty of the Snoqualmie River."

The City expected most of the work to be finished by summer 2026. The ribbon-cutting came in mid-September. The City credits much of the funding to a State of Washington appropriation championed by then-Senator Mark Mullet. The first phase also included site preparation for the trail connections planned in later phases.

What Is Walkable Now and What Is Still on Paper

The project's names have changed over the years. Riverwalk, Rivertrail, River Walk and River Trail all show up in City materials, and the 2025 announcement says the project was formerly called Riverwalk. Here are the pieces sorted by status, using the most recent status each source gives.

The bottom row matters most for anyone hoping to walk from downtown to the regional trail. On the older capital-plan sheet, the Riverview-to-Meadowbrook segment had a budget of $1,115,358, with $454,575 expected from the state Recreation and Conservation Office. That sheet is an old snapshot, not a current schedule. For now, the riverbank between downtown and Meadowbrook Bridge has no trail.

The SE Fir Street row doesn't fit neatly with the rest. The 2024 checklist describes it as starting south of Kimball Creek. The 2025 and 2026 announcements describe a one-mile section from Kimball Creek to Northern Street. The two may be companion pieces, or the scope may have changed. The City's project page would answer that, but it hasn't published a section-by-section map in a form we could read.

Bringing the Dog, and the Daylight Problem

The new trail falls under Snoqualmie's general park rules unless posted signs say otherwise. Two of those rules matter most this time of year.

• Hours. Parks are open dawn to dusk unless otherwise posted, and the City can post seasonal hours for daylight, safety or maintenance. With the days getting shorter, a walk after work has a firm end time.
• Leashes. Dogs must be on a leash no longer than eight feet. When a dog approaches or is approached by another trail user, it has to be within four feet of its handler. On a narrow soft-surface path beside the river, expect to shorten the leash every time someone passes.

Some details are still unconfirmed. We couldn't find an as-built accessibility certification for the finished trail. The 2024 design intent was to follow existing grades where possible while meeting ADA standards. We also found no published policy on closures when the river runs high. Before heading out after a big storm, check the City's site or the signs at the entrance.

Pairing the Trail With an Afternoon Downtown

The trail entrance is a short walk from the rest of downtown's fall calendar. Railroad Park sits in the heart of historic Snoqualmie next to the depot, the railway museum and the downtown shops. We couldn't find a direct trail connection between Railroad Park and the River Walk, so plan on walking the sidewalks between them.

These dates fall within the next few weeks:

• Halloween Train, Northwest Railway Museum. The museum lists departures October 10–11, 17–18, 24–25, October 31 and November 1, and its Snoqualmie Valley Wine Train runs on October 30.
• Arbor Day at Hoff Park. Planting and family activities run Saturday, October 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Snoqualmie Winter Lights. On December 5, from 3 to 6 p.m., Railroad Park and the Centennial Log Pavilion at 7971 Railroad Ave. SE host the event, with the tree lighting at 5:30 p.m.
• Yuletide Express. Fridays December 4, 11 and 18 from the Snoqualmie Depot, 38625 SE King Street.

There's one more set of dates for anyone who wants a say in how trails like this one are maintained. Mayor Mayhew's proposed 2027–28 budget would add capacity for parks and streets maintenance. The City has said a voter-approved levy increase may be needed to deliver that level of service. The City is holding two identical meetings, called "The Choice Before Snoqualmie," on the budget and service levels. The first is Saturday, October 10, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Cascade View Elementary, 34816 SE Ridge St. The second is Wednesday, October 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Snoqualmie Valley YMCA, 35018 SE Ridge St.

At Pacific NW Houses, we follow river trails like this one because they show how a town relates to its water. If you want to know how the next River Walk segments might change daily life along the Snoqualmie, reach out and Explore Pacific Northwest Homes with us.