Hike 8: Reinig Bridge to Tokul Road (Snoqualmie)

Driving there:

From I-90 exit 25 go north on Snoqualmie Parkway for 3.7 miles.  When you cross the RR tracks, turn left onto Railroad Ave, aka Hwy 202.  After you cross the river, turn right onto Mill Pond road.  Turn right again onto Mill Pond Road.  Turn left onto Reinig road.  Park at the railroad bridge.

Today's hike goes around a missing section of the Snoqualmie Valley trail.  We started where we ended our last hike, at the Reinig bridge.  We followed the Reinig road across the Meadowbrook bridge and through the town of Snoqualmie to the Northwest Railway Museum.

 

All Aboard!

After checking out the old trains and the station/museum we followed a trail alongside the highway, past a lot of very old junk trains, to Snoqualmie Falls.

Above the falls

 They've fixed up the park nicely, but they removed the observation deck.  There was a lot of rain last night, so there was a lot of water flowing.

There's a path at the north end of the park that goes down to the bottom of the falls.  They've replaced the lower powerhouse and the pipes that go to it.  

The trail continues upstream to a small viewing area.  Too bad it doesn't go a little further.

We followed the trail back up the hill and across the pedestrian bridge.  At the south end of the parking lot we went through the brush and followed the narrow Tokul road a half-mile to where the Snoqualmie Valley Trail resumes.  It was nice to get back to the car - it was a cool, breezy, and a little rainy day.

Hike 7: North Bend Way to Reinig Bridge (North Bend to Snoqualmie)

Driving there:  From I-90 exit 32, turn north onto 436th Ave.  Turn right onto North Bend Way.  Go about 3/4 mile to where the Snoqualmie Valley Trail crosses the road at an angle.  Free parking on the side of the road.

We had a very flat hike today.  The weather wasn't bad for November, a little rain and a lot of clouds.  We had some closeup views of Mt Si and the surrounding mountains.  In a moment of creative genius, I deleted the photos.  So I went back later and took some pics of the Reinig Bridge:

 

If you walk down this trail you'll get smaller and smaller...

The trail goes through the backyards of North Bend, past Mt Si, a golf course, and through a couple of natural areas.  We saw a few walkers and cyclists.

 

Love locks

I've heard of love locks, but this is the first time I've seen them.  You can read all about them at:  http://abcnews.go.com/International/bridge-love-romance-padlocks-began/story?id=18488039  I'll have to come back some day and see if there are more...

Side trips:  Mount Si and Little Si

Hike 6: Cedar Falls trailhead to North Bend Way

Our next several hikes will be on the Snoqualmie Valley Regional Trail.  It's another abandoned railway that goes from Cedar Falls to Duvall.

Driving there:  From I-90 exit 32, turn south and follow the road a few miles to the Cedar Falls trailhead.  Discover pass required for parking.  I didn't see a machine in the lot.  The trail begins near the outhouses.

Up until today, we've had dry and often sunny weather for our walks.  But now it's November, and today started out cool and drizzly.  No snow yet!

The trail follows the road at first, but soon you're walking through the woods.  There are occasional houses, but it's mostly forest.  There are a few bridges and trestles, and lots of side trails.  We didn't see many walkers or cyclists today.

South fork of the Snoqualmie River

The trail passes through two nature reserves and crosses the south fork of the Snoqualmie.  We ran across some guys panning for gold.  They're probably about a hundred years too late, but you never know...   The trail passes under I-90 to North Bend way, where our getaway car was waiting.