Hike on the Gnomes Trail in Maple Valley, WA

UPDATE: The Gnomes Trail in this article has been RELOCATED! Please check out my latest post on the NEW Gnomes Trail in Maple Valley, by clicking here.

9/15/20 UPDATE: The Gnome Trail has officially been relocated to 25719 Maple Valley Black Diamond Road SE, Maple Valley, WA 98038. This is the address to the Farmer’s Market, and access to the trail can be found in the Northwest corner of the parking lot. A new updated post will be coming as soon as we are able to leave the house to check out the new trail (going on a week of hazardous smoke due to the wildfires on the west coast).

8/20/2020 UPDATE: Due to a high visitor volume, and complaints from the neighborhood near the trail, they will be moving the gnomes to a new location in Maple Valley. As of today (8/20) the gnomes are still on the trail mentioned in this article. They are expected to be moved later next week, around 8/28, but I will update this post as more information becomes available. And of course a new, updated post will be coming on the relocated trail as soon as it’s available to hike. If you’re interested in helping move the gnomes to the new location, there is a facebook group here you can join to stay up to date.

We found another family-friendly hike up here in Washington! We heard about this fairytale-like trail of gnomes a few months ago and finally decided to check it out. The trail is called Gnomes Trail, and it’s located in Maple Valley, WA. There’s hardly any info about this trail online, and it wasn’t very easy to find. The trail is in the middle of about a dozen other trails that overlap in an area called Henry’s Ridge. (Read the directions below to avoid getting lost like we did.)

We actually went about an extra 1.5 miles because we went the wrong way the first time, and didn’t see any gnomes. So we gave up and walked back to the trailhead with plans to leave. Luckily, I decided to Google the trail one more time before giving up. That’s when I found some practically-hidden directions at the very bottom the one long article about the trail. So we went back on the trail we had just been on, and made the right turn this time to find the cutest little family-friendly Gnomes Trail. I’d definitely recommend the hike to anyone with young kids to check out this easy hike. Our kids loved pointing out all the gnomes and fairies along the trail.

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Where to park

There’s no official parking lot for the trails in Henry’s Ridge. King County recommends that you park along the street in the neighborhood nearby. Please Note: The entrance to the park is in a neighborhood where families live. Please be respectful of their property by not leaving any trash, or parking in front of houses. The main entrance to the trails of Henry’s Ridge can be found where SE 281st Way meets 253rd Place SE. We parked near a little playground, called 279th Street Park, right between Maple Ridge Way SE and SE 279th Street, where there is also a trail entrance. However, there is limited parking on the street here, so it’s recommended to go a little further up the street on Maple Ridge Way to the main entrance that is less residential.

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How to get to Gnomes Trail

Depending on where you park, there are different paths you’ll start out on to get to the Gnomes Trail. If you park at the main entrance of the park on 281st Way, you’ll start on the Fire Road trail, then take your first right onto String’r trail. This will bring you to the Route 66 intersection, where you’ll turn right and quickly see the Once Upon a Time trail on your left.

If you enter from the playground area on Maple Ridge Way SE, you’ll start on the gravel pathway (called Route 66), it’s a short walk, maybe a quarter mile at the most, until you come across several trail options. You’ll see a fork in the path a little ways ahead. There will be a trail to the left and a trail to your sharp right. The trail on your right is the one you want. It’s called Once Upon A Time, and you’ll see trail name signs nailed up on the tree. The trail is pretty well maintained, but there’s quite a few rocks and roots along the way, so watch your step.

Once you’re on the Once Upon a Time trail, you’ll eventually come to a fork and you’ll want to keep right onto the trail called Derailer. There’s a square white sign with a black zig-zag design on it. Follow the Derailer trail, you’ll pass a little tree bridge, then you’ll come to another fork where you’ll keep right. A little ways farther, and you’ll come to a really cool bridge built on a big fallen tree (pictured earlier in the post). Shortly after that bridge, you’ll see the welcome sign to the Gnomes Trail. Its about .4 miles long, and full of gnomes and fairies and trolls. You’ll see them in the trees, on the ground, and perched on top of stumps and bushes.

The trail will lead you back to the Derailer trail, where you’ll want to go left. You’ll pass the Gnomes Trail entrance again shortly after getting on the trial. Then you’ll follow it back the way you came to Once Upon a Time, and then out to the gravel pathway. Check out the TrailForks site for a map of the whole area with all the different trails.

Trail Tips

Just an FYI – these trails are shared by mountain bikers, and even horses (we saw horse tracks all along the trail today). So keep an eye, and ear out, especially if your kids are walking, to get out of the way if they’re coming through. We also noticed quite a few dogs on the trails, which is pretty common up here, especially in a residential area.

Our Hiking Necessities

Here are some of the things we bring on every hike with the kids:

• Hiking backpack carrier – here
• Front baby carrier (when our son was smaller, now he’s in a backpack carrier as well) – here
• Water bottles for the kids that don’t leak – here
• Adult water bottles – here
• The All Trails app for detailed trail maps (Download it before you go)
• And never forget your snacks!

Check out my Top 10 Washington Waterfall Hikes with Kids post, and some of our other Washington hikes here, here, and here!

xx,

Kirsten

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