How to Explore the Mountains to Sound Greenway in Washington

Discoveries galore are everywhere you want to be on this Greenway. Just a stone’s throw away from the Seattle suburbs and hundreds of miles in length, there are trails which start on or about the Mountains to Sound Greenway. Some of these trails are made to enjoy day trips, and backpacking. Hikers are swamped with choices in the suburban areas or the mountain alpine areas.Many interstate highways are consumed with strip malls and billboards. The North Westerners wanted a different code for the road over Snoqualmie Pass to pass to posterity. It has become the Mountains to Sound Greenway. The foothills, working farms and forests, trails, lakes and rivers are the 750,000 acres designated to stay right in their own backyard.This greenway is 100 miles long and takes about 2-3 hours to pass through. Allow extra time to visit the attractions in the area.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Traveling Vehicle
• A full tank of gas
• Extra water and oil for vehicle
• Emergency Equipment
• First Aid Kit
• Food and snacks
• Drinks

How to Explore the Mountains to Sound Byway in Washington State

1. Start exploring this Greenway in Seattle, Washington at any Interstate 90 exit.In the historic district, at Fort Tilton see the site of an 1850's fort . Go visit ...the Seattle Aquarium, Pike Place Farmers' Market, the Space Needle, the Music Museum,…they’re all there to discover and enjoy with your family.
2. Go East from Seattle, on Interstate 90 and as you travel along this greenway you will cross Lake Washington on a floating bridge, and visit Mercer Island. The drive takes you through pastoral valleys, lush forests and a wonderful mountain landscape. Visit historic towns and scenic spots for forest walks or challenging hikes. Cross the Cascades into a drier climate, where there are coal-mining-built pioneer towns all along the way to the Columbia River.
3. Continue to travel East on I-90 through Bellevue. Visit Bellevue's Mercer Slough Nature Reserve. Go to the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park. See wetlands and forests; and historical 19th Century coal mines. Don't forget to find Fall City. This place had its beginning in 1869. Fall City is one of the few of towns in King County that is still unincorporated.
4. Curve around a forested mountainside near Snoqualmie Pass, where white flowers enliven a field into a beautiful foreground below a brilliant blue sky. From the beautiful coastal city of Seattle through the magnificent forests, you get to see three different landscapes of Washington State. Parks, parks, and more parks. There is Squak Mountain State Park, for hiking and visiting the wildlife habitat. In the Tiger Mountain State Forest are trails you can track through 13,000 acres of conservation area. If backcountry hiking is your thing and you are looking for a little solitude, then the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Valley is for you.
5. Zoom up to Snoqualmie Summit.This Summit finds you on the Pacific Crest Trail. The trail stretches from Mexico to Canada. This area is lush and full of small lakes and wildflowers and of course, wildlife.
6. Visit the John Wayne Pioneer Trail stretching from Rattlesnake Lake near North Bend, (south of I-90 exit 32). The trail continues to head east across the state.
7. Take a look around in Thorp, Washington.In Thorp, at the eastern end of the "Mountains to Sound Greenway," you’ll find a historical, fully-restored, pioneer grist mill museum. This Greenway ends here, with a loop back west through the Yakima River Canyon.

Tips & Warnings

• Take plenty of water, both for you and your traveling vehicle.
• You may even want to take some extra oil and gas.
• Be extra careful and aware of snakes, since most of this trip is through mountain country.
• Make sure your traveling vehicle is in proper running condition.
• Do not get stranded on this stretch of road, if you can avert it.