Hiking on the NEW Gnomes Trail in Maple Valley, WA

Last year we visited the original Gnomes Trail hike in Maple Valley, WA and our kids loved it! The trail was a little hard to locate though, so I wrote a blog post about it (here) so others could easily enjoy the trail too. It turned into one of my most viewed blog posts ever. Unfortunately, the original trail required guests to go through and possibly park in a neighborhood to get to the hike. With so many visitors to see the trail, the residents had some issues with parking and people not being considerate while visiting the neighborhood. After months of complaints and working out a solution, the city decided to move the Gnome Trail to another location about 2 miles away. With the help of volunteers to “re-home the gnomes”, the new trail has officially opened and it’s still a great little trail for kids to gnome hunt.

I was nervous the trail wouldn’t be as good as the original, but it was actually easier to navigate with better signage, and the trail was a little wider, which is nice too. The kids loved searching high and low for the next gnome and it took us about an hour total from the car and back. Here are all the details you need to know about the new Gnomes Trail in Maple Valley, WA.

Where to park

The new location of the Gnomes Trail in Maple Valley is in the Northwest corner of the parking lot at 25719 Maple Valley Black Diamond Road SE, Maple Valley, WA 98038. This will take you to the parking lot of the Maple Valley Farmers Market, which is directly across the street from Rock Creek Elementary School and the Tahoma School District buildings. Stay right when you pull in and follow the road back to the back right corner, you’ll see the large pole of signs with the trail names on it (pictured above). The Farmers Market is open on Saturdays from 9am-2pm from mid-July through October. So, keep that in mind if you plan on going on a Saturday, the parking lot may be extra crowded for the market.

Tip: It appears Maps has some trouble getting to the Farmer’s Market. If you put “Maple Valley Farmers Market” in your GPS, it may take you across the street to the school. But if you put the actual address in, it should take you to the large parking lot on the other side of the road where you’ll park. The parking lot for the farmers market is very big and open, and it’s on the west side of the street, while the school is on the east side.

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How to get to Gnomes Trail

There are several trails in the area, but there’s great signage to direct you to the Gnomes Trail. Much easier to locate than at the original trail! We parked in the Northwest corner of the parking lot and hopped on the trail from there and just followed the signs that said “GNOMES”. There’s a short, kind of steep incline shortly after you get on the trail, after that, you’ll follow the sign left and it’ll bring you right to the entrance to the Gnomes Trail loop. The trail itself is 0.5 miles, and the loop spits you out right where you started when you’re done.

Tip: If you’re visiting the trail in the fall/winter during rainy season, I would recommend wearing rain boots. It seems like a trail that could get a little muddy.

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Fun facts about the Gnomes Trail

I’m not sure where the idea of the Gnomes Trail came from, but it is one of the most kid-friendly hikes in the Seattle area. But, I do know that all of those gnomes got there because of people like you and me who brought a gnome when they visited the trail! So, when you go visit this hike, make it extra fun by bringing your own gnome(s) to find a special spot for on the trail so others can enjoy, and for you to visit whenever you come back!

I would love to hear if you’ve visited the new Gnomes Trail yet below in the comments!

xx

Kirsten

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