Middle Fork Road Closes Today
- The Gateway Bridge, which takes hikers to the Middle Fork Trail, will be off-limits until the Snoqualmie Ranger District completes repairs to the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road. Photo by Robert Michelson
Last winter's heavy rains caused significant damage to the Middle Fork
Snoqualmie Road on the Snoqualmie Ranger District. Those same rains
led to floods that washed out the Taylor River Bridge. Last year's
flooding also damaged the Taylor River Road above the bridge. For most
of the year the road has been undriveable, and, as of today, is closed
to motorized and non-motorized travel at milepost 8.
The Ranger District is commencing road repairs in the wake of the Labor
Day holiday. Construction vehicles and equipment will crowd the road
and crews will be hauling gravel, rendering it unsafe for recreational
travel. The District hopes to have the repairs completed by early
December. Since the Middle Fork is low elevation, it typically has a
longer season than most other National Forest backcountry areas. Hikes
like the Middle Fork and Taylor River Trails should be still be
open in early December and mostly hikeable throughout the
winter--assuming, that is, that we don't have another heavy snow year.
The repairs to the Middle Fork will be conducted using the Emergency
Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) Program, administered by the
Western Federal Lands Division of the Federal Highway Administration.
In lieu of hiking in the Middle Fork, you might want to consider other
September outings in the I-90 corridor, including Granite Mountain,
Annette Lake and Asahel Curtis. These trails are at higher elevation,
so keep an eye on the weather and WTA's trip reports for the most up-to-date information.
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Another Road Closure
Foot and bike traffic may be allowed, but hikers and bikers shoudl expect delays based on construction schedules.