Education center in the King County, North Bend, Washington
17905 Cedar Falls Rd SE, North Bend, WA 98045
(206) 733-9421
The Cedar River Watershed Education Center is a regional education facility created as a gathering place to connect people with the source of their water. Nestled above the shores of Rattlesnake Lake (pdf) in the Cascade foothills, the Center is a gateway to the Cedar River Municipal Watershed, which provides drinking water for 70% of the 1.4 million people living in the greater Seattle area.
The Center provides opportunities for thousands of visitors to learn about the complex issues surrounding the region's drinking water, forests and wildlife. There are a variety of ways to connect to the source of your water and the Cedar River Watershed.
Such an easy and fun visit.
We just live down the road a couple miles, but love to visit this place. The rain drums are really neat too! The interactive historical displays are excellent, and very informative. Learn where we get our water from, learn about the history of the town of Moncton, go on a tour of the off limits reservoir above Rattlesnake Lake!
What a lovely little stop on our way to take in a hike.
Located about 4 miles from #32 exit from 90E - along the way don't miss the General Store if you want some snack for the lake walk or the number of surrounding trails.
The center is compromised of a couple of buildings connected by a nice wooden arcade. From the center you can take a trail to the lake that once flooded a village and walk along its shores, look at the cool tree structures and see some large vistas of the surrounding mountains as the weather sweeps over their hillsides.
At the center there is a small outdoor eco-exhibit near the main space that features a cool artist installation, that programs and rigs the irrigation system to drop water onto drums. Inside the same artist took tree roots and fitted them with light strings to form some neat fixtures.
The exhibits inside are neat, they explain the Cedar Watershed, this is where Seattle gets it water from and that is illustrated in a neat topographic model and a couple videos that explain just how progressive the region was in its attitude toward conservation.
What an amazing opportunity to explore nature.
The Cedar River Watershed Education Center is a small science museum. I had no idea it existed until I attended their "Knee-High Naturalists" program for toddlers.
