Issaquah Salmon Days, with hike(s)

Salmon are returning to Issaquah! Salmon Days festival is this weekend -- let's combine a hike (or two) with a visit to the festival.

We'll meet at the Issaquah Transit Center at 9am, and catch the festival shuttle bus in to Issaquah. (Buses are not running through Issaquah except for the shuttle, and most parking areas are closed, so Issaquah Transit Center is a good starting point for either bus riders or drivers.)

In the past, we've walked from Issaquah Transit Center, stopping at various points where we could look for salmon in tributaries to Issaquah Creek, but recently we haven't seen many fish til we got close to the fish hatchery. So this time, we'll go straight to downtown Issaquah via the shuttle, and visit a few of the best salmon viewing locations on the way to the start of our hike.

Our hike will take us alongside the creek, then via the Squak Access trail up into the east margin of the Squak Mountain park. We'll loop back via the Sycamore Access trail, then north via the Rainier Greenway trail, where we'll pay our respects to Jacob Two Trees, the Thomas Dambo troll, and back to the festival. This is about 4 miles, 600 feet up, so we'll be back in time for lunch.

Folks can either spend the rest of the day exploring the festival, or do a shorter visit to the festival, and have an optional second hike. We'll make sure everyone knows where to catch the shuttle bus back to the Issaquah Transit Center before splitting up.

For the second hike option, we'd take about 2 hours to get lunch and go festivaling, then reconvene at a chosen location and time. Then we can explore in the other direction, to the east, in Park Pointe. Trails here have been reconfigured, so this can be considered experimental -- it's not clear that even OpenStreetMap has the current trails. (Google Maps definitely does not.) We can start by heading to the Bill Ramos Memorial trailhead (formerly Sunset Way trailhead), turn south on the Rainier trail -- this is where the trails were changed, seemingly to keep hikers from wandering onto the grounds of Issaquah High School. After we figure that out, we'll enter Park Pointe from the north, and loop around the park. This is about 3 miles, but wandering about could make it a bit longer. We want to be back at the festival before it ends at 6pm.

The event end time is only an estimate, assuming folks do both hikes. And folks also have the option of getting dinner in Issaquah -- there is a very high concentration of good restaurants near downtown Issaquah, extending north to Gilman Village. The shuttle bus runs from 7am to 8pm.

Logistics:

Meet at 9am at Issaquah Transit Center bay 4 -- this is where the festival shuttle bus departs from.

Use event comments to coordinate.

Bus riders: Lots of routes in the area have changed. If you are coming from the direction of Seattle or Bellevue, you'll likely be taking the new #556 bus. From Seattle, catch Link #2 to South Bellevue station, and transfer to the #556 there. From the Eastside, you can catch the #556 at either Bellevue Downtown station or South Bellevue station. Use your favorite trip planning app -- Sound Transit says the #556 route will be corrected in trip planning apps on Sep 30, so re-check your route after that.

Drivers: Issaquah Transit Center has a large parking garage. Meet us on the bus passenger platform by 9am. The shuttle is operated by Metro, and the fare is the usual Metro fare, e.g. $3 for adults.

Bring water, snacks, and lunch if you don't want to buy lunch at the festival. Bring something to carry any purchases, especially if you're also going on the optional second hike.

The hikes include actual trail, so hiking shoes or boots are appropriate. Current weather forecast is mostly sunny, temperatures in the mid 60s F -- it's getting a bit chilly as we head into fall.

Kids and dogs are welcome -- for the hike, consider whether the kids will be able to finish 4 miles mostly on real trails, with a moderate amount of elevation gain. There is a kids area at the festival with activities. Yes, the "Dock Dogs" leaping contest is happening.

The festival features local arts and crafts vendors, and non-chain food vendors. The local Kiwanis will host their usual salmon bake charity fundraiser. There are two music stages. The festival will also be running on Sunday, in case you don't get to everything. More info:

https://www.salmondays.org/
https://www.salmondays.org/sd-2026-activities
https://www.salmondays.org/sd-2026-festival-information
https://www.salmondays.org/sd-2026-entertainment
https://www.issaquahfish.org/plan-your-visit/