Klahanie to Soaring Eagle State Park

Roam parks on the Sammamish Plateau

Revised 9/20/2021

The city of Sammamish has some fine parks hidden away amidst the suburban sprawl. This hike links three of these parks--Klahanie Park, Beaver Lake Park, and Soaring Eagle Park--to provide you with a full day's pedestrian pleasure. About an 8 mile walk, in all.

King County's Soaring Eagle Park, formerly known as Section 63 Open Space, has over 600 acres and 20 miles or so of trails interlacing a hilly, forested plateau. You could spend days walking yourself silly in that park's maze-like network of paths.

Note there is no weekend bus service to the area.

Fall leaves, Soaring Eagle Park

Getting There:

From Downtown Seattle, catch the eastbound Sound Transit 554 bus, and ride it to the Issaquah Transit Center.

At Issaquah Park and Ride, transfer to Metro 269, which recently has enjoyed an improved schedule - but it still doesn't run on weekends. Ride it to the intersection of Issaquah Pine Lake Road and SE Klahanie Blvd.

A slightly shorter version of this may be done by getting off at Issaquah-Pine Lake Road and SE 32th St. and walking directly to Beaver Lake Park using SE 32th and 244th Ave, skipping the Klahanie parks.

The Hike:

Walk on Klahanie Blvd east about 1 mile to Challenger School. If you wish, you can explore the trails around Yellow Lake, which the boulevard passes by. Just west of the school is Klahanie Park, with a parking lot, clean restrooms, and a spacious sports field. Walk north into the park, following a paved path under high-voltage power lines. The path dips into the valley containing Queenslake Bog; looking back, you get a good view of Tiger Mountain. In a half mile, the trail joins up with a paved trail (the Klahanie perimeter trail) running along the south side of SE 32nd Street. Go left (west) along this trail as far as 244th Ave. Or if you want more adventure, follow any one of a number of rude dirt trails penetrating the forest around Queenslake Bog. No matter which trail you take, eventually you will emerge onto the path paralleling SE 32nd.

To continue the hike, cross SE 32nd St and head north along 244th Ave a quarter mile to the entrance of Beaver Lake Park. Owned by the City of Sammamish, Beaver Lake Park occupies a shallow valley containing a major branch of the delightfully named Laughing Jacobs Creek. The east and west ends of the park are more or less developed, while the center features a thickly wooded mini-wilderness. Walk into the park (heading east), following the driveway that skirts a sports field and ends at a parking lot. Keep going east to a power line corridor cutting through the park. A wall of trees looms beyond the power lines. Look for a trail diving into the woods near the south edge of the park.

This delightful forest trail winds through the wild heart of Beaver Lake Park, where the sights and sounds of civilization seem far away. Eventually the trail crosses Laughing Jacobs Creek and arrives at a lawn on the shore of Beaver Lake. Picnic tables scattered about invite you to take a break at this pretty spot.

To continue the hike from here, walk to the parking lot and entrance just north of the lake, and then follow Beaver Lake Drive as it winds east and north. The road walking here is not too bad as the traffic is light, trees provide shade, and there is a pedestrian-friendly gravel “sidewalk” to walk on. After a mile, look for a parking lot and trailhead on the north side of the drive. This newly opened park called Beaver Lake Preserve features some nice loop trails which are worth exploring.

When through exploring the natural area, take the trail heading north to access to Soaring Eagle Park, which is owned by King County. Follow this trail’s many twists and turns to the park boundary, marked by a King County sign. The distance to Soaring Eagle Park is only a half mile, but seems longer due to the contorted layout of the trail. Once in the park, you immediately arrive at a complex junction (called Grand Junction); to sort out the confusion, King County has posted a map of the trail system. Study the map, then head out into the wild wood depths of the 600 acre preserve.

The main users of the park seem to be mountain bikers. There’s little in the way of views or definite destinations in the park, which occupies a gently rumpled, forested plateau laced with trickling creeks and ponds. Just follow your whims and wander about until you are ready to go back. I think this park is at its best in spring, when the trees are just leafing out and there are wildflowers blooming.

Return to Klahanie via the same way you came in.