Parks foundation steps forward to help repair washed out Snoqualmie Valley Trail

2005 Archived News

The Northwest Parks Foundation announced today that it will accept donations to repair King County's Snoqualmie Valley Trail after a washout Wednesday night destroyed a 120 foot section of the trail north of Fall City.

Donations can be made online or through the mail. Online, people can click 'contribute' on the Northwest Parks Foundation website at www.NWparks.org and in the comments box put 'Snoqualmie Valley Trail.' Donations can also be mailed to: Snoqualmie Valley Trail Donations, Northwest Parks Foundation, 600 First Ave, Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98104.

'Donations will help King County restore the trail more quickly,' said Kristen Bush, Executive Director of the Northwest Parks Foundation. 'We encourage trail enthusiasts to help restore this trail for regional use.'

The washout happened Wednesday between 10:30 and 11 p.m. 'We suspect a beaver dam broke loose upstream after the heavy rainstorm, released logs and water and carried it downstream where it overwhelmed the culvert that runs under the trail,' King County Parks Director Suzanne Little said.

To protect public safety, King County immediately closed the trail and posted warning signs. There is a vertical drop of about 80 feet where the trail is washed out and the area remains very unstable. It will likely be at least several months before the trail is back in commission. The county will have a better idea about how long it will take to make repairs after an engineering assessment is completed.

'We appreciate the Northwest Parks Foundation stepping forward,' said Little. 'We are working hard to restore the trail for safe use.'

For more information on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail see http://www.metrokc.gov/parks/trails/svt.html