7 Family-Friendly Hikes Along the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River
Photo:
Sun shinning through the trees on the CCC Road Trail. Credit: Jennifer Johnson
CCC Road Trail, Upper Trailhead
Back in the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps created the first road into the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley to facilitate logging and mining. Now the forest has grown up around it again, but there is a long trail from the area of the campground that goes west toward Mount Teneriffe. Families can start at the Middle Fork Trailhead, cross the road, hike past the campground, and then head southwest through the forest. You won’t find sweeping views or extra special destinations, but it makes a pleasant walk in the woods.
This is a great hike if your family is camping at the Middle Fork Campground. Look for carpets of moss, babbling streams (some are impassable in times of heavy rain or snowmelt), huge old cedar snags, and a benchmark in the middle of nowhere. At 3.5 miles from the trailhead, the trail hits the Middle Fork Road. (This is another parking area but isn’t signed very clearly.) Hike as far as you’d like toward this destination, then turn around and retrace your steps.
Kids will love: A shady, mossy trail, fall colors, fun stream crossings
Parents Should Know: A Northwest Forest Pass is required at the trailhead. There is an outhouse that may not have toilet paper. Try to find recent trip reports on the WTA website to see how the stream crossings are.
Next trail: Taylor River
