Trail:Soaring Eagle
From Evergreen Trail Guide
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| Name | Soaring Eagle |
| Tech Rating | 
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| Grunt Rating |
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| Singletrack | 90% |
| Fire road | 10% |
| Paved | 0% |
| Total trail | 12 mi. |
| Alt. change | 200 |
| Latitude: | 47.61165 |
| Longitude: | -121.9913 |
| Nearest medical: | Not set yet |
| Page adopted by: | R1de |
| Get Directions | |
Trail Overview
Soaring Eagle Park is 1 square mile of twisty, intersecting trails that all look alike. Happily, the local Boy Scouts have posted signs with trail maps at almost every intersection, so it's hard to get lost for very long.
Because it's relatively small in total area, Soaring Eagle Park is a great place to get a quick ride after work and it's fabulous for night rides. The trails are twisty, rooty and bumpy, but not overly difficult. The combination of size and technical difficulty make it a great place for both new and experienced mountain bikers to work on their singletrack skills.
How to find it
I-90
- From I-90 take the Issaquah Front Street exit.
- Head North under the freeway onto E Lake Samamish.
- At the second stop light, turn right onto Issaquah-Fall City Rd and head up the hill.
- At the second stop light, turn left onto Issaquah-Pine Lake Rd.
- Follow Issaquah-Pine Lake Rd to its end and turn right onto 228th Ave SE.
- Continue on 228th Ave until you reach SE 8th St. Take a right on SE 8th St and follow it back (it dips down and curves north where the road turns into 244th Ave SE) until you come to E Main Drive.
- Turn right on Main Dr and follow it to its end at the parking lot. (Road becomes E Plateau Dr along the way.)
SR-520
- Alternately, you can take 520 to Redmond, to 202 east (Redmond-Fall City Road).
- Take a right on 244th Ave.
- Follow up the hill, then straight through the roundabout.
- Left onto Main.
- Follow to the end at the parking lot.
Notes
There is also an entrance to the park on the south end, though there is very little parking. The south entrance abuts the terminus of Trossachs Boulevard.
Follow the directions above to Issaquah-Fall City Rd, but go straight instead of turning left on Issaquah-Pine Lake Rd. Remain on Issaquah-Fall City Rd past the point it becomes Duthie Hill Rd. Turn left onto Trossachs Boulevard and go all the way to the end.
You could also park at Cascade Elementary and be within riding distance of both Duthie AND Soaring Eagle.
Typical Conditions
Nettles abound in mid to late summer. Bring long sleeves and tights! Can be quite muddy and technical in the wet months. Best in late fall, before the mud and after the nettles die back. No sustained climbing or decending, but you can get a great workout.
Current Conditions
Pretty decent, especially if you can go early in the morning after a clear, sub-freezing evening; it will then be largely a combination of hero-dirt and (frozen) hardpack. There are a few marshy areas on Blue Jay Way between post 28, 20 and 18. Otherwise, the remainder of the park is in great condition. R1de 19:35, 22 January 2013 (PST)
Incredible. Various sections of the main line are muddy, but it's straightforward to work around them. The rest of the routes are in great conditions with a few small marshy areas here and there. suhailk 23:11, 25 March 2013 (PST)
Very wet and sloppy with some deep mud holes and marshy areas. The main trail running through the center has a large, very muddy area but construction is underway to put in a gravel bridge. Ridable but bring a change of clothes. PNWTallboy 0943, 28 April 2013 (PST)
Turn-By-Turn Guide
This park is used by trail runners, equestrians and mountain bikers alike, and all trails are open to all users (follow standard rules of right-of-way).
Refer to the King County trail map. Also, trail maps are posted at intersections--you can mix & match as you like.
- The section between post 9 and post 3 is great for pumping the trail. You can ride for 2 minutes or more without a single pedal stroke.
- The section between post 11 and post 3 on the north ("Iron Gate") is on private property and is poorly maintained.
- You'll come across several logs riding from post 11 to 4. They are mostly at the beginning of post 11.
- You can reach Beaver Lake Park from Soaring Eagle Park if you head west from post 28.
- Recommend going downhill between post 7 and 2. You can pick up a lot of speed and catch several jumps.
- If beginning at the lower trail-head (trail marker #18), I recommend doing a counter-clockwise loop. Clockwise seems more uphill. Counter-clockwise flows better in my opinion.
Local Points of Interest
- Local bike shop is Pacific Bike, located on 228th. :) Nice people.
- Local pub is Pine Lake Alehouse. Try the Monte Cristo, my favorite sandwich there.
Misc. Information
- If you are doing cross-training, the main trail is great for trail running. It takes less than 10 minutes in one way.
- Ask the local bike shop (Pacific Bicycles) about the Wednesday night rides.
Advocacy Information
Soaring Eagle is a 630 acre (1 sq mile) King County park. KC and the City of Sammamish have approved the transfer of 30 acres to Sammamish in order builds ball fields, playgrounds and other developed park facilities that the city feels they lack.
The 30 acre parcel is on the southern boundary of Soaring Eagle Park, near Trossachs Blvd. Draft map of 30 acre parcel (4mb pdf).
2-26-11 KC Parks is talking about doing some trail work to deal with the mud. Ask locals or county folks for more info.
Photos
Trail Map
