Boxley Creek Natural Area is right off Snoqualmie Valley Trail near Rattlesnake Mountain. The trail continues north and ends in Duvall, Washington. Meanwhile, the Middle and South Forks of Snoqualmie River flow below the north.
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Boxley Creek Natural Area at a Glance
Access: Snoqualmie Valley Trail (entrance | interactive)
Round Trip: 8.1 miles
Elevation Range: 920′-1040′
Essential Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-friendly: yes
Playlist: Ethereal
Strolling Snoqualmie Valley Trail by Rattlesnake Lake
The 31-mile-long valley trail began south of Rattlesnake Lake by the ghost town of Cedar Falls. But we started a mile north from the gate, directly accessing Christmas Lake. The stroll along the quiet community gave glimpses of Cedar Butte and Mount Washington.
The subsequent entry point of the valley trail was in Tanner, north of Interstate 90. It was also closer to the area we explored but with the drawback of the freeway noises out and back. I also wasn’t aware that a natural area existed until halfway through the trip.
See more trip photos here.
Boxley Creek Natural Area by Snoqualmie River
It wasn’t until after passing the private Rainbow Lake that we were away from most homes. However, I did notice the small number of back roads by Boxley Creek. The fact that they didn’t connect with the ones to the north had shielded the community from traffic.
Past the two-mile mark, we left the trail before the trestle into the natural area. The main path took us through the clearcut until we encountered a private sign near the hilltop. So we bypassed from the east on one of several spur trails. During this, we spotted a small herd of elk.
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Return to the Gate Near Christmas Lake
The trail dipped slightly as spotty views of Mount Si and Mount Teneriffe appeared. As it veered east atop the edge of the cliffs, the impressive sight of a private lookout tower soon appeared. After pausing at the small shelter, we quickly returned to the valley trail.
We looped south above the Snoqualmie River, where the natural area sign suddenly appeared. Interestingly, the King County website doesn’t describe the place in much detail. After greeting several runners, we made the final two miles from the trestle back to the car.
See more trip photos here.