In the 2017–18 spawning season, 19 adult kokanee came back to the creeks that feed Lake Sammamish. During the 2024–25 run, King County counted more than 8,300, the second-highest return since monitoring began in 1996, according to a King County news release from May 2025. If you live on the plateau, the most visible part of that recovery this fall is the stretch of trail you can't walk. The East Lake Sammamish Trail is closed between Louis Thompson Road NE and NE Inglewood Hill Road so crews can build passage for these fish. The project's in-water work window closes October 31, right before kokanee viewing season starts in early November.
A run that fell to 19 fish and came back past 8,300
Lake Sammamish kokanee are a smaller cousin of sockeye, and they have been isolated in this lake since the early 1900s. Most salmon go to sea and return to fresh water to spawn. Kokanee spend their whole lives in fresh water. This run is one of only six known native kokanee populations in Washington, and the lake is the only place within 90 miles of Seattle where you can see them, according to the Salmon SEEson listing for Ebright Creek on ParentMap.
Part of the rebound comes from a change in how young fish get into the lake. King County describes a supplementation strategy that raises young kokanee in controlled conditions. They are released in the fall, when the fish are bigger and the lake water is cooler and holds more oxygen. Partners released about 12,000 fry in 2023 and about 12,000 more in 2024, and the county said in May 2025 that experts hoped returns would stay strong for the next few years. The Snoqualmie Tribe, one of those partners, reported in March 2025 that young fish were leaving the streams in large numbers that spring.
The 2024–25 figure is still the most recent count on the public record. King County's year-end recap from December 2025 cites the 8,300-plus return. Stream-by-stream estimates for last winter's run were on the agenda for the Kokanee Work Group's January 28, 2026 meeting. Any fish you see this November are part of a run that is still being rebuilt.
The 600 feet of trail you can't walk this fall
King County closed a 600-foot section of the East Lake Sammamish Trail on June 1, 2026, and it stays closed through the rest of the year. There is no detour, so the trail is effectively two separate trails until the work is done. Crews are replacing aging culverts under the trail bed. When the culverts are finished, a new wide paved section goes in. The county says this will open high-quality salmon habitat on George Davis Creek and complete the last section of the trail.
The City of Sammamish runs the other half of the work as the George Davis Creek Fish Passage and Storm Improvement Project. In March 2026 the city chose Northwest Construction Inc. and put the city and county work under a single construction contract. The city's schedule sets in-water work for June 15 through October 31. It targets substantial completion in the fourth quarter of 2026 and final completion in the second quarter of 2027. The city says the project replaces fish-passage barriers and creates 900 feet of potential spawning habitat. It also opens another 2,000 feet of high-quality stream habitat upstream. Once the stream restoration is finished, the temporary bypass comes out and the creek's full flow goes back to the lake.
The completion dates are targets, so plan your walks around a split trail at least until the county reopens the section. The in-water window closing on October 31 is a fixed date. It falls just before the early November start of kokanee viewing.
Where to watch at Ebright Creek
The Salmon SEEson listing says kokanee may be spotted from early November through late January, but only in a handful of streams that flow into Lake Sammamish. Ebright Creek has two good spots, and they make for quite different outings.
The pullout on the Parkway. The viewing site at 127 E Lake Sammamish Pkwy SE has a small, unmarked parking area on the west side of the Parkway, between the road and the East Lake Sammamish Trail. Walk about 50 feet south onto the trail to where the creek passes under it. This is a residential area, and the listing asks visitors to be courteous to the neighbors.
Ebright Creek Park. The city park at 1317 212th Ave SE is the longer option. Boardwalks link the front and middle sections of the park, and the creek runs between the middle and back sections, where you'll find a loop trail and benches. From October through March the city lists park hours as 7:30 a.m. to dusk, but the gates don't open until 8 a.m., so arrive after that if you plan to park inside.
The listing's practical advice applies at both spots:
- Call 206-477-4746 before you go to confirm kokanee are visible.
- Go in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid glare.
- Bring polarized glasses.
At dusk in November the window is short. By the time you get home from work, the late-afternoon light is often gone, so weekend mornings are usually the more realistic time to try.
November's kokanee calendar, and two ways to help
Several events in November tie back to the same lake and creeks:
- Wednesday, November 4, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Lakeside Lectures: Kokanee. Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park hosts University of Washington professor Jeff Jensen and Dave Kyle of Trout Unlimited for a talk on the lake's native kokanee. Registration is through the event page.
- Saturday, November 7, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Native planting at Beaver Lake Preserve. The city's volunteer restoration event puts native plants in the ground to improve wildlife habitat. Parking is limited, so signups are required, and volunteers who aren't on the list won't be able to take part.
- Saturday, November 7, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sammamish and Issaquah tree giveaway. Pickup is at Pickering Barn, 1730 10th Ave NW in Issaquah. The cities have already hit their goal of 650 trees, so new applicants join a waitlist. Unclaimed trees go to waitlisted participants starting at 1:15 p.m.
- Sunday, November 15. Salmon SEEson at Ebright Creek. The Salmon SEEson calendar lists this date for Ebright Creek, and the advice to call ahead still applies.
The lecture is the best fit if you want the biology behind what you see at the creek. On November 7, the planting and the tree giveaway overlap in time, so choose one or plan your morning carefully. While the trail stays split, Ebright Creek is the easiest place to see the run up close.
The ParentMap listing describes these fish as "one of the only six known native populations of kokanee in all of Washington State." That rarity matters to shoreline owners too. On the east side of the lake, creek and trail projects like George Davis Creek can affect access and construction schedules near the water, and this one is not set for final completion until the second quarter of 2027. The Ginn Group keeps track of projects like this along the Sammamish shoreline. If you own property near the trail or one of these creeks and want to understand how this work affects it, schedule a consultation with our team.
