Spring’s longer hours of daylight and improving weather means an increase in the number of people who are eager to get outside, and King County Parks is making progress on improving access and easing congestion at some of its most-popular backcountry trails.
With funding from a voter-approved levy, King County Parks has completed four of the 11 scheduled trailhead and parking lot expansion projects.
“We are off to a good start in this work, but our county’s booming population – and the popularity of our backcountry trail system – means we need to do even more to keep pace with the demand for easy and convenient access,” said Kevin Brown, director of King County Parks.
New trailheads that provide additional parking have been completed at:
And responding to the demand for parking at the Poo Poo Point paragliding landing area south of Issaquah, King County Parks added approximately 20 additional parking spaces to the site’s parking lot in 2014.
More parking and trailhead expansion projects are scheduled to begin soon.
For example, in partnership with the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), construction of a new parking lot along the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road will be completed in 2017, providing additional new parking for up to 45 vehicles.
King County is actively working with the Mountains to Sound Greenway, DNR, Washington Trails Association, and others to identify alternative transportation options, such as expanding the trailhead shuttle service pilot that was operated last year. The pilot service offered regularly scheduled rides from a downtown North Bend Park-and-Ride to a number of popular trailheads for a nominal fee.
“Our commitment is to expand and enhance recreational opportunities for communities across King County, and we need to ensure people have convenient access, too,” Brown said. “That’s why we are working with Mountains to Sound Greenway, the Washington Trails Association, DNR, and a number of cities, to find solutions to these transportation and access challenges.”
