Snoqualmie Valley Trail closed near North Bend until August

A 1.7-mile stretch of the Snoqualmie Valley Trail between the Mount Si Golf Course and North Bend will be closed for bridge replacement until mid-August.

Snoqualmie Valley Trail closed between Mt. Si Golf Course and North Bend

There is no off-road detour. To get from one side to the other, bicyclists have to ride on Boalch Avenue (there’s an adjacent trail through the old Meadowbrook farm) and Bendigo Boulevard to North Bend. Once there, they  pick up Fourth Street and Ballarat Avenue to rejoin the trail at the site of the old railroad station.

The trail closed Monday. I was riding out there on Friday enjoying the crystal clear views of the Cascades when I stumbled across the locked gate and signs at the far end of the Mount Si Golf Course.

It may look like there is space for a bike to get through, but there isn’t. You wouldn’t want to pass through anyway as work crews are pulling out a bridge.

The sign at the trail closure said the rail-trail bridge is being replaced because of fire damage. It will be replaced with a new single-span steel girder bridge.

The cost is just under $300,000, and Zemek Construction is doing the work.

I’m sure this won’t cause too much of a hassle for bicyclists heading up to the John Wayne Pioneer Trail this summer as long as they know ahead of time about the closure. Otherwise, they’ll have to back track through the golf course. The county’s Snoqualmie Valley Trail website has an alert about the closure.

Otherwise, the trail is in excellent condition. It’s a great destination for a bike ride.

Here’s the detour I took (just click “bike paths” at the top of the map to see the route of the Snoqualmie Valley Trail [the device doesn’t appear to be working now]):