Protect the Middle Fork’s Future… Forever.
Just 40 miles from downtown Seattle lies the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley – a rare mix of wilderness beauty and year-round accessible recreation. It’s where hikers, climbers, families, and nature-lovers of all abilities can experience riverside trails, sweeping mountain views, and wildlife habitat right at the city’s doorstep.
But the Middle Fork’s future is not guaranteed. Public lands like these are facing unprecedented threats: shrinking budgets and staffing, growing visitation, and too few resources to protect fragile ecosystems and ensure safe, welcoming access. Without action, this place risks being “loved to death.”
Now is the time to act. Help us raise $10 million to create a self-sustaining
stewardship fund that will care for this valley forever.
Why Your Gift Matters
The Middle Fork is a rare place: a large stretch of conserved, healthy, publicly owned wilderness so close to a major metro region. That closeness makes it both special and vulnerable, and without our care, we have much to lose. The Valley has enormous value for both people and nature, and the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust is committed to protecting this incredible place for the future.
The Middle Fork is:
- The most ecologically intact river valley remaining in King County
- One of the largest, cleanest watersheds flowing to
- The western terminus of projected wolf recovery corridor
- The southern terminus of projected grizzly bear recovery corridor
- Closest access in the nation to a designated Wilderness Area from a major metro
- One of the only wheelchair-accessible trails along a Wild and Scenic River
What We’ve Achieved Together
Over the past three decades, the Greenway Trust and our community partners have transformed the Middle Fork from a neglected and overused valley into a model of sustainable access and ecological care. Learn more about our work in the middle fork >
Campaign accomplishments thus far include:
- 9 new trailheads
- 11 new trails, including an ADA-accessible loop trail with riverside picnic sites — one of the few such facilities in the nation on a Wild and Scenic River
- More than 50 miles of trail maintenance
- 9 new public restroom facilities (taking the total within the recreational corridor from just 2 up to 11!)
- 3 new shuttle stops (and support of Trailhead Direct), making the Valley accessible by transit
The Final Challenge: A Forever Fund
We’ve come a long way, and now we face a pivotal moment. The Greenway Trust is leading the charge to create a $10 million self-sustaining stewardship fund that will ensure care for the Middle Fork for generations to come. This fund will maintain the trails and facilities already built, keeping recreational amenities safe and accessible for the public instead of letting them fall into disrepair. It will also support the monitoring and treatment of ecological threats, such as non-native weeds and human-caused damage, and fund other critical efforts like visitor education, interpretive programming, volunteer recruitment, and data collection.
By providing a stable financial foundation, the fund will help us navigate the ups and downs of public funding while staying focused on what truly matters: safeguarding wildlife habitat, keeping rivers clean, and creating opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to connect with nature. With your support, we can secure a future where the Middle Fork is not just protected today, but protected forever.
Why Now?
The urgency could not be greater. The U.S. Forest Service manages more than 80% of the Middle Fork Valley, but intense budget cuts have left the agency without the staff and resources to keep pace with growing visitation. Meanwhile, other public funding sources are in flux and cannot be reliably counted on for year-to-year planning and long-term care. Without sustained investment, the progress we’ve made could unravel, leaving the Middle Fork once again vulnerable to misuse and ecological harm. The Greenway Trust is committed to caring for the Valley’s trails, trailheads, and facilities and protecting its precious wilderness ecosystems, but we cannot do it without support from the community.
If you’d like to learn more, ask questions, or join a behind-the-scenes tour of our work, please contact:
Mike Woodsum | michael.woodsum@mtsgreenway.org | 206.382.5565
