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Print Friendly MapThe Cedar River Trail follows the old Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad corridor on a straight, flat shot out of the sprawling Seattle metro area and into the rural countryside.
Beginning at the southern end of Lake Washington, the trail rolls upstream along the fast-flowing Cedar River to Landsburg Park. The first 12 miles of the trail, stretching just past the Maple Valley trailhead, are paved. There, the surface turns to packed gravel, and the path begins a winding course through a forested setting to its terminus in Landsburg, about 5 miles away. The northernmost portion of the trail is part of the developing Lake to Sound Trail, which plans to connect trail users between Lake Washington and the Puget Sound.
The paved trail starts about a block from the Renton Historical Museum and passes through an open field that, a century ago, housed brick- and conduit-maker Denny–Renton Clay & Coal Co. All that remains today are scattered bricks in the blackberry thickets. Be aware of the trail's 10-mile-per-hour bicycle speed within Renton city limits (violators face a fine up to $101); additionally, trail users on foot and wheel must stay on their side of the yellow line.
After passing Ron Regis Park, the trail leaves the city limits and is sandwiched between the scenic Cedar River and busy State Route 169/Maple Valley Highway. The river, filled with old snags, meanders through the valley and washes against high sandy bluffs. In the fall, you'll witness a colorful spectacle as thousands of sockeye salmon head up the river to spawn. The bright-red salmon are easily seen from trestles or the scattered county-owned natural areas that dot the river's edge. One such natural area, named Cavanaugh Pond, also is a year-round destination for spotting waterfowl.
The trail becomes packed gravel after it passes the Maple Valley trailhead. This soft-surface path winds through groves of Douglas fir, western red cedar, bigleaf maple, and alder on the way to the Landsburg trailhead.
Back where the trail turns to gravel, you'll pass the 3.5-mile Green-to–Cedar Rivers Trail, another gravel rail-trail also known as the Lake Wilderness Trail. It heads up a small hill to Maple Valley's secluded Wilderness Lake and the 42-acre Lake Wilderness Arboretum. The route passes through residential Maple Valley and behind a commercial area at Kent–Kangley Road and Maple Valley Black Diamond Road/SR 169. The Green-to-Cedar Rivers Trail ends at a railroad crossing but reappears a couple of blocks later as a mountain bike, equestrian, and hiking trail in the Black Diamond Natural Area, where many paths wind through the old conifers.
There are several parking options available along the trail including at Riverview Park (3201 Maple Valley Hwy), Maplewood Roadside Park (3225 SE 7th St), Ron Regis Park (1501 Orcas Ave. SE) and at the southern terminus at Landsburg Park (Landsburg Road SE).
See TrailLink Map for more options and detailed directions.
Very nice trail, we started in Maple Valley and it was about 6 miles of gravel, not idea on our road tires but we made do and were able to hit the pavement for our remaining miles. Overall fun trail and family friendly, just watch out for those Ebikes
We started at the Hobart end of the trail. While it is gravel at that end we preferred the lush trees, frequent river views and numerous trestles. Once you get to the section along the highway it turns into a dusty and noisy ride.
Started out at Renton Community Center and headed south. I wasn’t aware of the detour near the trestle which meant riding on the sidewalk along 169 for about a mile or so. Thankfully it wasn’t crowded but was a bit nerve wracking riding back with my 5 year old on the wide walk against oncoming traffic going 50mph - was relieved we didn’t have to share the sidewalk at all. We rode about 5 miles and then turned around. Overall really nice - virtually empty today maybe due to holiday weekend or bc so much sun exposure?
A beautiful trail, with several waterfalls, we start with the factoring and conclude until the beginning of bellevue with a last waterfall and a wonderful fossil! worth knowing! me and my husband are always looking for new trails, because each hma reserves a secret, beauty and peace.
My wife and I finally rode this trail over the weekend and we couldn't be more thrilled at the great workout it provided us. Trail started out through a quiet section of Renton, but got louder as it followed a busy road. The trail provided a lot of chances to see the Cedar River. We stopped and turned around at the end of the paved trail and just raved at the views and the total experience. We will definitely come back and ride the whole stretch.
Rode the whole trail first 12 1/2 miles paved too bad it is so close to road. The last part which is a hard packed gravel is very pretty all in woods crossing back and forth over river
Nice, well maintained trail. More walkers/runners than bikes. About a 11 mile ride from the Renton start before I hit packed gravel. I had road tires on and turned around. Packed gravel wasn’t horrible, I would try to finish with lower pressure traction tires next time. Not a whole lot of crossings, a lot of cool little tunnels and river views.
Good so far
We only rode half way and turned around back to our starting point in Renton. First half of the trail is easy, not much in the way of elevation. The trail however is very noisy as it parallels Renton/Maple Valley Hwy (169).
Let us start off by saying that we only rode the first 9 miles of this 17.5 mile trail before returning to our starting point which was Cedar River Trail Head in the midst of the Renton Boeing factories. The wide blacktop trail was excellent - no problems there. However, for approximately 6.5 of the 9 miles, it was adjacent to a very busy, 4 lane highway with heavy truck and car traffic and the noise was something else! After 9 miles, we had had enough and my wife and I returned to our start.
i am looking to find out the distance from landsburg to highway 18 or from lake washingotn to highway 18? if you can help that would be awsome.
thank you
Most of the Cedar River Trail follows an old RR right-of-way, but the way we like to do it, we start at the mouth of the Cedar River where it empties into Lake Washington, and follow it all the way to the boundary of the City of Seattle watershed at Landsburg. Depending on the time of the year, there are many places along this trail where you can observe hundreds of sockeye salmon spawn in the fall. A truly spectacular sight; although the odor of spawned-out, dead fish decaying along the shore can be very strong. Seagulls and crows are feasting on the dead fish. The trail runs for 4.5 mi. within the Renton City limits and then continues out into King County.
There is ample parking at either end of the trail and many mid-way points in between. Parking along the fence of the Boeing airplane factory in Renton has lots of parking spaces, two toilet facilities, and a nice view of Lake Washington. There are two places along the trail where once in a while one has to stop on the trail for a brand new Boeing jet airplane crossing, so you better give them the right of way or you get blown away! Starting at the mouth of the Cedar River (N47.50101, W122.21414, elev. 20 ft.) also has the advantage that there is a boat rental place (with permanent facilities and a place where they sell refreshments) where you can rent a kayak or Canoe and venture out onto Lake Washington and get some exercise for your upper body muscles after (or before) pedaling the 17 miles to the end of the Cedar River Trail. There are two stretches along the lower Cedar River Trail where pedestrian and bicycle traffic are separated: from Lake Washington to N. 6th St. and again from the Logan Ave. bridge (0.96 mi., N47.48616, W122.20930) (and Senior Center) to the Renton Library (1.6 mi., N47.48176, W122.20137). Bicycles share the road with automobile traffic in those locations, but that is not a problem. Before getting to the library, it is difficult to cross Bronson Way (a major thoroughfare) above, so it is much safer to dismount and walk the bike for the short stretch through the underpass. Next to the library is a skate park (a former swimming pool) that is quite an attraction for the young folks. The park has facilities and a drinking fountain.
The next road crossing at a busy street has a button-activated crossing signal (1.7 mi., N47.48138, W122.19985). The trail then goes under a semi-active RR track, under the I-405 freeway and arrives at the City of Renton Cedar River Park, which includes the Carco Theater and Community Center, and is adjacent to a swimming pool and water slide fun park. The trail goes over the river and under the freeway at the same time, to the actual starting point of the RR conversion Cedar River Trail. At 2.9 mi. (N47.47663, W122.17998) is Riverview park with facilities (or a portapottie, depending on the time of the year). A pedestrian bridge offers a good view of the river, with interpretive signs about life forms in the river. Shortly beyond the park is an RR bridge over the river, the first of five of this kind along this trail. East of the bridge is a parking area and a trail access point.
The trail and the river are sharing an underpass under Highway 169, sometimes problematic if the river is at flood stage. On the other side one may have to duck for low-flying golf balls, a little bit further at Ron Regis Park (lots of parking) one has to duck for low-flying base balls. At this park are the last facilities for the next 10 miles.
A nice underpass was constructed recently to allow the trail to go under 154th Pl. S.E. (5.2 mi., N47.46618, W122.13753, elev. 160 ft.). From here on the trail parallels Hwy. 169, actually too close for comfort. This mid-section of the trail is the least enjoyable and no person in their right mind would want to walk here. It is OK as a bicycle trail, at least you get through the unpleasant part a lot faster than walking. There are several places where one has a good view of the river, and one place where the river has nibbled on the trail and taken a bite out of it. At one place one can walk on a dike along the river for a short stretch.
At 8.2 mi. (N47.45701, W122.07861, elev. 270 ft.) the trail goes under two overpasses, and next to the second overpass is a small, unpaved parking area, an access to the Cedar River Park Natural Area, but only a wet, trampled path leads from the trail to it. At 11.3 mi. (N47.41854, W122.04606, elev. 360 ft.) is the second RR bridge over the river. At 12.1 mi. in the town of Maple Valley is a large parking area (holding ~50 vehicles) and official trail access point. The trail goes under Hwy. 18 (12.1 mi., N47.40962, W122.03842) and another road and then comes to the third RR bridge over the river at 12.37 mi. (N47.40588, W122.03803, 390 ft. elev.). On the other (east) side of the RR bridge is another trail access point (also called Fred V. Habenicht Rotary Park) with parking for ~20 vehicles, adjacent to Whitte Road, but the parking area is down below and there is no easy way to get from the parking area up on the trail without scrambling up the steep bank next to Bridge No. 3.
The trail then goes over Whitte Road and soon the pavement ends at the junction with the Green Trail (12.9 mi., N47.39845, W122.04321) leading to Wilderness Lake and Four Corners (a very scenic side spur waiting to be connected to Black Diamond). From here on to Landsburg the trail surface is packed gravel and easy to ride on even with a street bike. At 13.7 mi. is RR bridge No. 4 over the river, and at 14.5 is the next bridge (No. 5, N47.38882, W122.01815) with a nice rock at the west end to sit on and eat a snack. At 15.1 mi. (N47.37987, W122.01720) is a crossing of Rock Creek, where salmon cutouts are decorating the bridge fence. At 15.3 mi., just east of the 15-mi. marker, a trail branches off to the south, connecting to the water pipeline trail and a vast network of about 20 miles of nice trails in the Danville-Georgetown area (http://www.frcv.org/) where you could spend an entire day with a map and might still get lost. At 15.6 mi. the trail crosses a road and there are a few parking spaces here. At 16.2 mi. is a nice picnic table with a view of the river. At 16.5 mi. (N47.38422, W121.99163, elev. 530 ft.) is the last of the six RR bridges (No. 6) over the river, with a nice view of the river upstream and downstream in its natural environment with no houses or farms cluttering its banks. At 16.9 mi. (N47.38183, W121.98487) is a gauging station. Between the gauging station and Bridge No. 6 a hiking trail skirts the river and leads to some of the wildest areas of the entire trail system, opposite an alluvial deposit wall where the river erodes the base of the wall and rocks can come tumbling down any moment. At 17.8 mi. (N47.37536, W121.97146, elev. 580 ft.) is the Landsburg parking area and end of the trail at Issaquah-Hobart-Landsburg road. On the other side of Landsburg Rd. S. E. is Landsburg Park with a salmon viewing platform at the rapids that were restored after a weir that impeded progress of the salmon was removed. This upper part of the Cedar River Trail from Maple Valley to Landsburg is the most scenic stretch of any RR conversion trails in the Seattle area anywhere within a 50-mile radius. This is a tru gem.
The Cedar River Trail is now paved (wide, like all rail trails should be) from where it crosses under I 405 to the intersection with the 'Green To Cedar River Trail'. Both trails are bikable, but on ballast from that point on and are very wooded. It is a slight climb most of the way up river, so I would recommend starting down river and working up, so you will have an easier ride back. The trail has some very scenic sections and some other sections along the highway. Part of the trail between I 405 and Lake Washington goes thru downtown and is hard to find/follow and may be closed when the water is high. The section near the Boeing property at Lake Wahington is marked for pedestrians only, but the adjacent road is an acceptable alternative. With only a few road crossings, I had a great time riding this trail.
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