Grand Ridge Mine Hike

Have you ever wanted to walk in the footsteps of  Issaquah’s earliest miners? On March 26, you will have the chance to explore the daily commute of miners who worked in Issaquah’s longest-lasting coal mining operation starting in 1888. The three-mile adventure will be well worth the wear on your shoes.

Issaquah’s coal miners typically worked ten-hour days for low pay in dangerous and uncomfortable conditions. Comparatively, this hike will be a walk in the park. Literally. Issaquah History Museum’s Doug Bristol will lead you from downtown Issaquah to the mine site through an historically significant section of the county’s 1300 acre Grand Ridge Park. Entertained by amazing and amusing tales, you will walk along the old rail bed of the North Bend branch of the Northern Pacific Railroad to a spur built specifically to serve the mine. The mine site itself is one of the best preserved in Issaquah, and it will afford you an opportunity to imagine the clanking of metal, the shouting of men, dynamite explosions, the clatter of train wheels, and the crash of rock as it fell into railroad cars.