Tolt MacDonald Park Traditional Geocache
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(small)
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Tolt Macdonald Park is a 574-acre park that sits at the confluence of the Snoqualmie and Tolt Rivers in the beautiful Snoqualmie Valley. The park offers camping and a unique 500-foot suspension foot bridge that crosses the Snoqualmie River and offers terrific views of the river and Cascade foothills. This cache highlights a new paved trail that provides a fun stroll or bike ride with interpretive signs describing a recently completed major salmon habitat restoration project.
During the fall you can see spawning salmon and their carcasses below the suspension bridge, and eagles and osprey soaring above. In addition to picnicking and hiking, Tolt-MacDonald is also a favorite destination for exploring trails on foot or mountain bike. Here’s a quick breakdown from the Watershed Steward about spawning activity in the Snoqualmie and when you can expect to see fish: Chinook: Sept – Nov Pinks (Humpy): Sept – Nov (odd years they are very prevalent, less so in even years) Coho: Oct – Jan So, Chinook are in the system now and we would expect to see them at Tolt MacDonald however the limited flows may be influencing their selection sites and therefore not as visible. With increased flows, we would expect them to be more present and visible. Chinook Bend is a good site for viewing them in addition to Tolt MacDonald. Tolt-MacDonald offers RV, container-cottages, tent, and yurt camping for the year-round 'staycation' experience. The park's picnic shelters and beautifully restored barn can be rented for company picnics, weddings, or other special events and the grass ballfields are available for softball, baseball and soccer. Prior to the white settlement of the Snoqualmie Valley in the late 1850s, the area that currently serves as Tolt-MacDonald Park was one of several large permanent wintering villages that the Snoqualmie Indian Tribes occupied along the Tolt, Snoqualmie, and Raging Rivers. Development of the park and campground first began in the 1970s, as the vision of Boy Scout Council Chief John MacDonald. In 1976, as one of the nation's largest bicentennial projects, more than 20,000 Boy Scouts spent some five months constructing campsites, picnic tables, and shelters. The suspension bridge was also built at this time by the Army Reserves 409th Engineering Company. Tolt-MacDonald Park was dedicated upon completion of the project, in June 1976. There is no public access for motorized vehicles on west side of river. This cache was placed as part of the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the use of Conservation Futures. Since 1982, King County had partnered with cities, nonprofit groups and civic leaders to protect 111,000 acres of land from development including: 99,000 acres of Cascade foothills; 3,200 acres of urban greenbelts and parks; 4 miles of Puget Sound shoreline; 4,700 acres of riparian habitat on rivers and creeks; $150 million in matching funds.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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