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North Bend residents living along Cedar Falls Road near Rattlesnake Lake have again taken to social media to express frustration as they witnessed many people ignoring the statewide Stay Home order and park/trail closures in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The first of many nicer days to come brought out more hikers and bikers, with more good weather expected this weekend and into next week. The Rattlesnake Lake parking lots are closed with warning signs posted, alerting users of the closure caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

The signs were ignored, though, with vehicles parked parallel to the lot. People were observed walking under the tape into the outdoor recreation area on Wednesday and Thursday.

Cedar Falls Road adjacent the entrance to Rattlesnake Lake Rec area, 4/9/20

Driving up to see for myself, I witnessed at least 40-50 cars parked along the road at 3:30PM on April 8th – and then more cars on April 9th.

Living very close to the area, it upset me to see people blatantly disobeying the order. I would love to take my poor dog up for a run, but haven’t. It was difficult to resist the urge to stop cars and ask people why they were ignoring an order locals are trying to respect.

We contacted Seattle Public Utilities, which owns and manages the Rattlesnake Lake Recreation Area, to ask if they are considering additional measures to get people to respect the park closure and stay home order.

Thursday afternoon SPU said, “Rattlesnake Lake Recreation Area closed to the public on March 24 to reduce growing crowds and potential COVID-19 transmission. Steps are now being taken, including a road closure, to ensure public health guidelines can be followed.”

A few hours later Cedar Falls Road was closed just beyond Wilderness Rim, restricting access to Rattlesnake Lake and the ledge trailhead.

The King County Sheriff’s Office encouraged people to report possible violations of the statewide Stay Home Stay Healthy order to 206-296-1608. If there is no answer, callers are asked to leave a message. KCSO it is working to have a 24/7 line established soon.

Parking issues/violations near Rattlesnake Lake can be reported to the KCSO non-emergency line at 206-296-3311

Cedar Falls Road adjacent the entrance to Rattlesnake Lake Rec area, 4/8/20



Cedar Falls Road adjacent the entrance to Rattlesnake Lake Rec area, 4/9/20



Cedar Falls Road closed just beyond Wilderness Rim in North Bend, 4/9/20

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