Issaquah Creek Salmon Habitat restoration begins at Lake Sammamish State Park

Visitors will see intermittent closures on three trails this summer

ISSAQUAH – Beginning this week, visitors will see construction activity on lower Issaquah Creek at Lake Sammamish State Park.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (State Parks) and Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust (The Greenway Trust), in partnership with several government and community organizations, will start work on a restoration project to rehabilitate 4,600 feet of the creek. This project, the most ambitious restoration effort to date at Lake Sammamish, will enhance critical salmon habitat while beautifying and improving the health of the area.

Crews have already begun staging equipment. In-stream restoration work will take place between June 15 and Aug. 15, when salmon are not actively migrating through the creek.

Visitors can expect to see intermittent closures on the Issaquah Creek Trail, Boat Launch Trail and Homestead Trail between now and September. The East Soccer Field and the eastern portion of the Homestead Trail will be closed for the summer. Park playgrounds, swimming areas, beaches and boat ramps will not be disrupted.

Onsite signage will let visitors know when each trail is closed. State Parks and the Greenway Trust ask trail users to heed all closures for their own safety and that of staff and work crews.

Issaquah Creek has historically supported vibrant salmon populations, including Chinook salmon, now listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Decades of development straightened the creek, removed natural logjams and disconnected floodplains, degrading salmon habitat. This restoration will create a more natural flow and provide healthy conditions for young salmon.

This project is twenty years in the making, with master planning and smaller habitat repair efforts happening since the mid-2000s. The Greenway Trust will be hosting several volunteer work parties this summer on Issaquah Creek. Park goers can visit the Greenway Trust events calendar to find volunteer opportunities.

The Issaquah Creek restoration project has been funded in part by the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed (WRIA 8) and the King County Flood Control District Cooperative Watershed Management Grant Program, the King County Flood Control District’s Flood Reduction Fund, the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) and Puget Sound Acquisition & Restoration program via WRIA 8 and the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the United States Environmental Protection Agency with support from Congresswoman Kim Schrier (WA-08) and contributions from The Boeing Company.

ABOUT THE MOUNTAINS TO SOUND GREENWAY TRUST

The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust is a coalition-based organization that leads and inspires action to conserve and enhance this special landscape, ensuring a long-term balance between people and nature. Founded in 1991, the Greenway Trust works to conserve and restore natural lands, open spaces, and historic sites; build and maintain recreational trails; engage with students through our environmental education program; advocate for public lands and recreational access; lead a robust volunteer program; and much more.