FAQs

Regional trails are shared-use paths designed for walking, biking, and rolling that connect multiple cities and jurisdictions, rather than staying within one neighborhood or park. They typically link to a larger county- or region-wide trail network, giving people non-motorized ways to reach destinations like downtowns, parks, schools, and transit.

Renton sits at a crossroads for several regional trail corridors. Key connections include:

• The Lake to Sound Trail, which runs through downtown Renton connecting Lake Washington to Puget Sound, linking to Tukwila, SeaTac, and beyond
• The Cedar River Trail, connecting to the regional system toward Maple Valley
• The Green River Trail, extending north toward Tukwila and Seattle
• The Eastrail (formerly the Eastside Rail Corridor), linking Renton to Newcastle, Bellevue, Kirkland, and other Eastside cities
• May Creek Trail, planned to connect west of I-405 to the City of Newcastle's trail system
• Soos Creek Regional Trail, connecting south toward Kent, Covington, and unincorporated King County

The network combines paved shared-use paths, soft-surface trails, boardwalks, and on-street bike facilities. It's built and maintained through coordination between the City of Renton, King County Parks, neighboring cities (like Newcastle, Tukwila, Bellevue, and Kent), and WSDOT, since trail corridors often cross jurisdictional boundaries.

The Renton City Council adopted the 2026 Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Plan on January 26, 2026, setting the long-term vision for the city's parks, recreation facilities, programs, trails, and natural areas. Trails and trail improvements have consistently been identified as a high priority across the city's planning history.

• The city first developed a trails planning process in 1990, and the Trails and Bicycle Master Plan provides a framework for establishing priorities, decisions, and funding for trail improvements and operations. 
• Renton adopted a Trails Master Plan in 1993, which was updated in 2009 to become the Renton Trails and Bicycle Master Plan, and updated again in 2019. 
• The PROS Plan builds on this history, incorporating trails alongside parks and open space into a unified vision.

Stay tuned! There will be opportunities to engage in this planning effort in the months and years ahead. Follow Renton's newsletters, social media, and this engagement website.