Sammamish River

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Sammamish River

The Sammamish River (referred to as Sammamish Slough by long-time local residents) flows for about 14 miles through north King County, Washington, draining Lake Sammamish into Lake Washington. Towns along its banks include Redmond, Sammamish, Woodinville, Bothell, and Kenmore. The Sammamish River Trail is a paved bicycle and walking trail that runs along the river, from Marymoor Park in Redmond, to Bothell, where it connects to the Burke-Gilman Trail to Seattle.

The Sammamish River watershed covers an area from Everett in the north to May Valley in the south.

Before the 20th century, the Sammamish River was marshier and its mouth was east of its present position. It was known to early settlers as the Squak Slough, after a modified pronunciation of the native village at Issaquah. "Squak" means either "snake" or "swamp." In the 1910s, the United States Army Corps of Engineers dredged and straightened the river to prevent flooding. In 1916, with the opening of the Montlake Cut on Lake Washington, the mouth of the river moved westward in response to the lower level of the lake.

The portion of the river south of Lake Sammamish is now known as Issaquah Creek, while the river north of Lake Sammamish is named after the native people who once lived along its entire length.