While the paving of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road is welcome news for hikers who use the route to reach their favorite trails, the project will cause some closures and delays. Here's what you need to know.

**Find the scheduled closures of the Middle Fork Road for the next two weeks here. This link is updated weekly, so it will reflect the most current schedule.**

Ask anyone who has driven Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road (FS 56) what their experience was like and they’ll probably tell you about the car-swallowing potholes and tire-sucking mud. Others will talk about the time their car axle broke or multiple tires went pancake flat—in one trip.

Soon those experiences will be a thing of the past.

The long-awaited paving project on the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road will begin in early May 2014 and continue over the next three summers.

The project should be completed summer 2017.

Ten miles of the Middle Fork road will be paved from the end of the current pavement at the Mailbox Peak trailhead to the Middle Fork Campground.

2015 Closure Schedule

Weekend Closure - May 2015

Weekday Closures - May 2015

Paving the Middle Fork means better access for hikers, is a win for the river and fish

Each year, more than 100,000 hikers and other recreationists venture to the Middle Fork to hike, camp, kayak and fish all year-round. The Middle Fork Valley—in the backyard of North Bend and only a 45-minute drive from Seattle—is incredibly scenic, with jagged peaks, towering old-growth trees and a raging river along the road. The Middle Fork is the main access road for a number of popular hiking trails like Mailbox Peak, Granite Creek, Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Trail and Taylor River—to name just a few.

More Info

Only a few days are left in a crowdfunding campaign from our friends at Mountains-to-Sound Greenway. >> Love for the Middle Fork? Help fund the Pratt Bar Trail Attend an April 23 open house to get your questions about the project answered, 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the North Bend Forest Service office.

By paving the road, hikers will have easier and safer access to their favorite places. In addition, water quality in the Middle Fork valley will improve due to a decrease of sediment run-off that currently flows off the dirt road and into streams. Old road culverts (those metal pipes that run under roads to allow streams to continue flowing downstream) will also be replaced and made more fish-friendly so trout can migrate upstream.

WTA sees this project as a win-win for hikers and the environment.

How will construction impact my trip to the Middle Fork?

Prep work for construction such as road surveying and flagging will begin on April 14, 2014 and construction will continue through August 2016. See the details and map below if you plan to hike the Middle Fork during this time.

Alternatively, consider the project a reason to explore a new set of trails, maybe the Issaquah Alps, the Teanaway region or along Highway 2.

2014 ROAD CLOSURES

The Lake Dorothy Road, which some people use as an alternative to one section of the Middle Fork Road, will be closed to all public traffic. (See map.)

Closures on the main Middle Fork Road will begin May 5, 2014 and extend through October 31, 2014 as follows:

Eastern Intersection of Lake Dorothy Road (Upper Couplet) at Valley Camp to Middle Fork Campground

Road Closed: 12:00pm Monday — 12:00pm Friday

Road Open: 12:00pm Friday — 12:00pm Monday (Up to 60 minute delays may occur.)

Note: The Mailbox Peak Trail and all trails beyond Mailbox will be inaccessible when the road is closed.

CCC Trailhead to Middle Fork Campground

Road Closed: 7 Days a Week - July 28, 2014 to September 26, 2014

Resources

Washington Federal Lands Highway Middle Fork project webpage

April 25, 2014 Middle Fork project newsletter

April 17, 2014 Middle Fork project newsletter

April 11, 2014 Middle Fork project newsletter

March 25, 2014 Middle Fork project newsletter