Mountains to Sound Greenway

The Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area stretches 100 miles from Seattle across the Cascade Mountains to Ellensburg in Central Washington. The greenway includes 1.5 million acres of national forests, busy communities, sublime alpine lakes, rural farms, vital salmon habitat, and stunning high deserts.

Today, The Mountains to Sound Greenway is an iconic corridor of public lands. But 40 years ago, the future of the greenway was uncertain. In the 1980s, as Seattle spread outward along I-90 toward small timber towns and farming communities to the east, the Issaquah Alps Trail Club began to advocate for an unbroken ribbon of protected land from the Puget Sound to the Cascade Mountains. Trust for Public Land signed on to co-lead the initiative.

By 1991, federal, state, and local governments, as well as landowners, recreation groups, wildlife experts, and community members were all working on the plan, and TPL established the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust as a separate organization with the sole mission of protecting the greenway.  Jim Ellis, a civic leader deeply involved in the movement became the Greenway Trust’s founding president. Jim believed that land conservation strengthens economic development and supports vibrant communities. That vision remains the driving force behind our efforts today.

Since Jim Ellis started this work 40 years ago, TPL has protected more than 10,000 acres in the greenway. Thanks to Jim Ellis and the actions of many other committed and generous individuals, we are fortunate to enjoy an incredible expanse of protected lands in the greenway today. But this legacy is not secure. Rapid growth continues to threaten the forests of the greenway.

In 2022, TPL and the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust launched the Jim Ellis Fund for Land Conservation to address the threat of forest loss and the need for expanded trails and green spaces in our growing region. Together, we can protect the future of the greenway and ensure the next generation can enjoy the greenway we know and love today.