Cedar River Trail

Salmon and 737s

Cedar River Trail

Gets You From Downtown Renton to Landsburg

Best Traveled By bike on a summer weekend when the salmon are spawning, their wiggling hordes visible underwater even from the path

Road Blocks Though the 17.3 miles are all at least a little off the road, the last 5 miles are gravel, not paved. An “Airplanes Crossing” sign means that the 737s fresh off the line at the nearby Renton Boeing plant get the right-of-way.

Stops and Sights Start in the suburban bustle of Renton but quickly slip under I-405 and pass designated natural areas thick with cottonwood and alder trees and golf courses to reach a quiet, not-quite-rural stretch of King County. Once upon a time this was a coal-hauling rail line; now it’s a less-crowded bike path with fishing access (or spot-the-salmon access) to the Cedar River. Brushy greenery often hides the route from Renton’s streets, and a rusty bridge crosses the Cedar River near the Maple Valley terminus. In Maple Valley, a soft-surface spur goes south to Lake Wilderness Arboretum. lakewildernessarboretum.org

Published in the City Trails issue of Seattle Met.