In 1886 the Northern Pacific Railway established Easton as a railroad station near the east end of the Stampede-Cascade tunnel. The city served as a junction point for both the Northern Pacific (now the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad) and the former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific railroads. The town was virtually destroyed by fire, so most of the buildings were rebuilt in 1934.

Mile: 71

Twelve miles long, at an elevation of 2,222 feet, the lake was formed by a natural dam which a glacial moraine left across a prehistoric river. It was mapped by Captain George B. McClellan as Kahchess Lake during his 1853 survey of the Cascade Mountains, after the Indian name that means “many fish.” McClellan had been asked by Governor Isaac I. Stevens to explore the Cascades and find a pass...

Mile: 69

The tour passes through rugged, forested mountains, scarred by rock slides, that rise on either side of the tour. Stands of second-growth timber grow above the charred skeletons of burned-over forest areas; beyond are growths of green spruce and fir.

Mile: 66

This long and narrow lake is at the head of the Yakima River three to four miles east of the crest of the Cascades in northwest Kittitas County. It was a natural lake, but in 1914 the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation raised its level with a dam. The level of the water fluctuates with the seasons. Pyramidal peaks, bristling with greenish-black forest and flecked with snow, are mirrored in the...

Mile: 59

Completed in 1951, the Lake Keechelus Snowshed Bridge is the sole remaining snowshed on the state highway system. Located on heavily traveled I-90, the structure is important for protecting motor vehicle traffic from snow slides along this high elevation section of the I-90 corridor. The bridge’s construction also exemplifies innovative use of materials (such as multiple pre-cast roof units) to expedite construction where elevation and the vagaries of weather limit...

Mile: 58

A mountain resort at the north end of Keechelus Lake near the east portal of the abandoned Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway tunnel in northwest Kittitas County. The station was named by railroad officials for the nearby creek and lake. Hyak is a Chinook jargon word used for “swift, fast, hurry” and generally refers to creeks that are swift running or bodies of water, such as lakes, connected to...

Mile: 55

This 3,004-ft. pass is at the crest of the Cascades at the head of the Snoqualmie River drainage to the west and the Yakima River drainage to the east, the highest point on I-90. Snoqualmie has the lowest altitude of the three main passes across the Cascades; and, in the days when travel was slower, it was the first night’s stop east of Puget Sound. Rainfall in this area is...

Points of Interest

The Mountaineers Snoqualmie Lodge

Mile: 53

Along the western slope of the Cascades, the differences by elevation in climate, vegetation, and the flow of creeks and streams are apparent and differ dramatically from the eastern slope of the Cascades. Thick tangles of salal and Oregon grape grow beneath tall Douglas fir and hemlock, and huckleberry bushes jut from decaying stumps and windfalls.

Mile: 52

The Snoqualmie River was named for a tribe of Indians who dwelt on this slope. Edmond S. Meany, historian, in giving the origin of the word, said: “The Whites have softened the native word sdob-dwahlb-bluh (Ind. “moon”) which refers to the legend that their people came from the moon.” Indian legend asserts that Si’Beow, the beaver, climbed to the sky, brought the trees and fire to earth, set the sun...

Mile: 44

This was the trade center and shipping point of a farming and dairying district and sits in the shadow of craggy Mount Si (4,167 feet), a favorite hiking destination for locals, along with its shorter sister, Little Si (1,576 feet). They were named after homesteader Josiah “Uncle Si” Merritt, who built a cabin at the base of the peak in 1862. The rocky landscape is comprised of metamorphosed remnants of...

Points of Interest

North Bend Historic Commercial District

The North Bend Ranger District

Si View Park

Covered Railroad Bridge

Mount Si Bridge

Mile: 31

More than 3,000,000 trout eggs are gathered, in addition to great quantities of eggs of other species, annually from the surrounding creeks. This was formerly known as the Tokul Creek Fish Hatchery and is operated by the State Game Commission.

Mile: 24

Named for a man named Fall, who established a ferry and road house at a point where a concrete bridge now stands. He formerly was a foreman on cattle drives over Snoqualmie Pass for the Wadley & Phelps Company. The town’s location on the Snoqualmie River, at the spot where the river was no longer passable, gave it the early name “The Landing,” as steamboats ferried supplies up and downstream...

Points of Interest

Falls City Masonic Hall

Neighbor-Bennett House

Hop Curing Shed

The Raging River, which, though not raging in late summer, is boulder-strewn and moves swiftly. Grassy banks, beneath stands of maple and willow, and shady pools provide recreation for campers and fishermen. The highway, after a steady climb, runs between a border of tall evergreens, then descends rapidly into the Sammamish Valley.

A settlement bordering the millpond of the Preston Mill Company, whose plant overshadowed the village. The town once had a saw mill. It was named by Daniel H. Gilman, for his associate in building the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway through the area, William T. Preston. Mr. Preston served as the district engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War I and was responsible for the...

The Taumala Barn was built by Victor Taumala around 1920 and was originally used for storage and animal cover.

Mile: 21

A notable garden designed by Fujitaro Kubota, who transformed an initial five acres of swampland into a carefully designed landscape. That eventually grew to 20 acres. Kubota established Kubota Gardening Company in 1923; his works include the Japanese garden at Bainbridge Island’s Bloedel Reserve, and the gardens on the Seattle University campus.

A residential section of Seattle, southeast of the main business section of the city, between Madrona Park and Jefferson Park. Originally settled by the Hanford and Holgate families, it is one of Seattle’s 12 officially named hills, with a maximum elevation of 336 ft. at Beacon Ave. and Holgate St. It was named by M. H. Young of Boston, part owner of Union Trunk Line, a local electric street car...