The East Lake Sammamish Trail Finished This Spring. Then It Closed Again.
September 3, 2026
September 3, 2026
If you were paying attention to local news in April, you probably remember the ribbon-cutting. County officials and Eastside leaders gathered to celebrate the completion of the East Lake Sammamish Trail, an 11-mile paved path that took 26 years, a federal lawsuit, and a small army of persistent bureaucrats to finish. County Councilmember Claudia Balducci called it a big deal. It was framed, accurately, as the end of a very long story.
It was not the end of the story if you actually use the trail.
As of this week, a section of that same trail is closed, with no official detour, and it will stay that way through the end of the year. If your daily loop, dog walk, or bike commute runs along the east shore of Lake Sammamish, the trail you thought was finally whole is currently cut into two disconnected halves. Understanding exactly where, why, and what to do about it matters more than the spring headlines did.
The completion celebrated in the spring was real. Segments in Redmond, Issaquah, and Sammamish had been built out in phases stretching back to 2011, and the final piece finally closed the gap that decades of legal fights over the old rail corridor had left open. What the celebration didn't emphasize is that King County and the City of Sammamish had already scheduled the next disruption before the ribbon was even cut.
The project is a culvert replacement at George Davis Creek, where the trail crosses on aging pipes that don't allow fish to pass. The city and county are installing new 17-foot box culverts and a short-span bridge to restore salmon habitat and help the local Kokanee population recover. It's genuinely good work. It's also work that requires digging up the exact stretch of trail that just got finished, and it was never going to be quiet about it.
The closure itself is short. It covers about 600 feet of trail between Louis Thompson Rd NE and NE Inglewood Hill Rd. But short doesn't mean minor. King County Parks has been explicit that there is no detour around this stretch, which means the trail is functionally split into a northern half and a southern half until construction wraps.
For anyone who rides or walks the full corridor between Issaquah and Redmond, that's the whole point of the trail gone for the rest of the year. Seattle Bike Blog, which covers this kind of regional trail news closely, put it plainly back in April: for most of 2026, the only ways to get between Issaquah and Redmond by bike are to go around the west side of the lake or climb the surface streets through Sammamish. Neither option offers the separation from traffic that made the trail worth building in the first place.
There's a wrinkle worth knowing if you've seen the original closure notice and assumed the roads themselves are shut down too. The City of Sammamish's own construction announcement said the trail, East Lake Sammamish Parkway, and Shore Lane would all close at the same time. That's not quite what's happening on the ground. One cyclist who rode through the work zone and reported back on Seattle Bike Blog found that the Parkway itself isn't closing outright. Crews are closing one lane at a time and running flaggers to direct traffic around the work, not shutting the road to cars. If you've been avoiding the Parkway entirely because of that early notice, you can likely still drive it. It's only the trail itself that's split with no way around.
The trail hasn't gone dark everywhere. AllTrails still rates the full route 4.6 stars with reviewers noting that most of it remains open and well maintained outside the construction zone. Here's how the two halves actually break down if you're planning a loop this week:
None of these connect to each other right now. Pick a side, plan your loop around it, and don't count on stitching the whole 11 miles together until the culvert work is done.
It's fair to feel some fatigue about a trail that just reopened closing again within months. The upside is specific enough to be worth the wait. Once the culverts are replaced, George Davis Creek will run open to the air instead of trapped underground in pipes, which restores fish passage and, per Seattle Bike Blog's reporting on the project, gives the trail a new creek overlook where the crossing used to be an unremarkable culvert. That's a real amenity addition, not just a repair.
It also fits a pattern rather than breaking one. A bridge across Bear Creek connecting the trail's north end to the Redmond Central Connector opened in 2025, part of the same slow accumulation of small upgrades that eventually added up to April's full completion. The George Davis Creek work is the same kind of investment. It's just landing in the middle of your commute instead of somewhere invisible.
If your usual trail evening ends with a stop at the Sammamish Farmers Market, adjust your timing for the next couple of weeks. The market runs Wednesdays from May through September at Sammamish Commons, typically 4 to 8 p.m. On September 2 and September 9, hours shift to 4 to 7 p.m. as the market adjusts for earlier sunsets. If you're planning to combine a walk on whichever half of the trail is open with a stop at the vendors afterward, showing up expecting the usual 8 p.m. close will mean arriving to a market that's already packed up.
It's a small adjustment, but it's the kind of detail that only matters if you're actually planning your week around this corridor, not reading about it from a distance.
The trail isn't broken. It's temporarily split, for a reason that will make it genuinely better once the work is done. But if you've been assuming the spring completion meant a fully open, uninterrupted loop right now, that assumption is wrong, and it will stay wrong through the end of the year. Know which half you're on, know that the Parkway itself is probably still drivable despite the scarier early notice, and plan your evenings accordingly.
Paying attention to details like this, the ones that don't make the celebratory headlines but genuinely shape how people live here day to day, is part of what three decades on the Eastside teaches you. If you're weighing a move near this corridor, thinking about selling a home along it, or just want a conversation with someone who tracks this market as closely as the trail itself, reach out to Tom Covello. Get your free home valuation and consultation whenever you're ready.
Stay up to date on the latest trends in real estate.
And How Your Goals and Local Demand Shape the Decision.
From Handmade Pasta to Sushi With Skyline Views.
Here’s Where Your Renovation Dollars Work Best.
When It All Comes Together During Your Home Search.
Bellevue Home Design Trends Shaping Eastside Interiors Right Now.
To raise the standard by providing my clients with honest answers, direction and a positive outlook. Through outstanding customer service and professional expertise, I will satisfy and exceed my clients expectations—this is my number one goal!