This is to let hikers know that King County Parks has opened up a new section of the Shinglewood Loop Trail in the Ames Lake Forest. WTA trail building volunteers constructed this new part of the trail to replace the trail in the northeast section of the loop, so you now have more of a view down to Carnation and some peaks to the east. The section of the old trail has been closed and block off with branches, fallen trees and ferns. This part of the Ames Lake Forest is about 400' above the Snoqualmie River down at the main parking lot of the Tolt-MacDonald Park. Parks is also building a new loop trail off the Shinglewood Loop Trail with lots of help from WTA volunteers. This trail is not open yet, as it has not been finished. More work will be done in the Spring of 2019.
There are about 12 miles of trails in the Ames Lake Forest. Part of the forest is within Tolt-MacDonald Park and the other on Green Crow property that was former Port Blakley Mill Co. land. Years ago this property was going to be an 18 hole golf course and housing development. King County bought the development rights, so no houses can be built. It will remain a forest. Green Crow has logged part of their property in the past few years, but some new trails have been built in the parts that were logged. See the King County Parks and the Evergreen Mtn. Bike Alliance websites for trail maps for Tolt-MacDonald Park. Note some trails have changed do to the logging. King County Parks has been doing trail improvements in their part of the Ames Lake Forest and trail junctions have signs. No big crowds on these trails. On various trails in the forest you have views of several mountains from Si, Rattlesnake, Rainier, Tiger and Cougar. The trails are open to hikers, mtn. bikers and horse riders, but I have not seen any horses in the past few years.
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