Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands- Trails

For time immemorial, the Snoqualmie People used an extensive trail system to reach fishing, hunting and gathering places and to visit relatives in other tribes across the region. The Snoqualmie villages along Lake Sammamish & Lake Washington connected to a series of trails that made it easy to travel throughout Snoqualmie ancestral lands. Travel regularly occurred from Snoqualmie villages between the southern Salish sea, the Tolt, Cedar and Snoqualmie Rivers and then across the Cascades to Yakama. Taking advantage of these ancient trails and using Indigenous guides, early settlers were able to travel across Snoqualmie Pass connecting eastern Washington to Seattle. Many of these trails eventually became rail lines and roads because they were already established travel paths. Using the original trails over the Cascades, the Snoqualmie Wagon Road would eventually become known as the Sunset Highway and later Interstate 90. The next time you are traveling along one of these ancient trails, take a mindful moment to remember the history of this land and it’s ancient, unbroken connection with the Snoqualmie People.