Photo by Todd Parker

Location: King County, Snoqualmie River

Acreage: 920.20 acres

Ownership History: The Middle Fork Legacy Project, an initiative of CLC and the Mountains to Sound Greenway, brought together a community of land managers, non-profits, businesses and local residents to accomplish stewardship goals and preserve the 110,000 acre Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River watershed.  In 1997, CLC began acquiring and protecting the last remaining private in-holdings in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Valley region. To date, a total of 1,360 acres in the Middle Fork Basin have been preserved. Of that total, 463 acres have been resold to the United States Forest Service (USFS), which will care for the land in the long term.

Property Description: The Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Valley is one of King County’s truly wild places, with old-growth forests, alpine lakes, rivers and strong native trout runs. Thirty miles east of Seattle on the edge of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, the valley has a growing reputation as a haven for wildlife and as a destination for hiking, kayaking and other muscle-powered sports.

The area is roughly defined by the Mt. Si Natural Resource Conservation Area to the west, by the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area to the north and east, and by I-90 to the south.  The watershed is considered an integral part of the Mountains to Sound Greenway which runs from Seattle to Thorpe.  CLC has concentrated its preservation efforts in two areas of the valley: the Granite Creek basin and the Hardscrabble Creek basin.

Conservation Values: The Middle Fork Valley habitat supports wildlife such as elk, owls, and native trout.  There are patches of old-growth forest, hot springs, thousand foot granite faces, and three rivers that run through the area.  In addition, the upper and lower Granite Lakes are important alpine riparian forest habitat.  Removal of the in-holdings in the valley prevents suburban encroachment and promotes safe, low impact recreational use.