Thread: Outdoor Shooting close to Sammamish

I found this thread:

http://www.northwestfirearms.com/for...northbend.html

However my friend said that this spot has been closed and that the I90 corridor is closed to outdoor shooting.

Can anyone confirm this or recommend any areas near Sammamish/Issaquah/Redmond for outdoor shooting. I can't wait to lay waste to some of my favorite veggies and fruits!

Thanks in advance

If you go up off Tinkum Rd off I 90 and drive till you see the signs saying you've left the I-90 no shooting corridor, you can shoot up there. Limited spots. Me and a couple buddies were up there around February and it was snowing and we were at the end off a waterbarred road (10' high pile of stumps and earth blocking the continuation of the road). Cops (game warden and forest ranger) showed up, told us we were shooting in the middle of a state road, and told us we had to leave (after running my plates, asking me if I'd ever been arrested, asking about my tattoos, and looking over all our weapons). We told them that since you couldn't drive beyond that point we didn't understand the big deal. The told us we had to shoot off the road (which there's nothing we saw and it was snowing like crazy so we didn't want to go searching).

Take Exit 38 off of I-90 and go to the end where you would get back on the highway going east and there's a dirt road off to the right. If you wind back there a ways there's a right turn with a sign posted "Leaving No Target Shooting Area". You can shoot there on the road where ever you like. Make sure you are not shooting up or down the road in case someone else comes by.

If you have high clearance, you can keep going up to the end of the valley below McClellan's Butte and you have ranges out to 1500 meters.

Thanks to both of you, I will try it out this weekend.

I use Tinkham Rd too

As long as you go past the 'no shooting corridor', your good. You can avoid any problems by hiking 100+ yards back from any major roads/forms of water and shooting into any kind of earthen berm you can find

Its what several rangers/local Leo's have told me they do in the area

I would not shoot anywhere along that road, even when I was at the official shooting pit I noticed there were mountain bikers riding the fire service road.

Here's the pit.

Originally Posted by Newcastle

I would not shoot anywhere along that road, even when I was at the official shooting pit I noticed there were mountain bikers riding the fire service road.

Here's the pit.

Yup, theres a road that goes along behind (& above) the pit. There are a few more spots up there, but not without 4x4 (after snow). I've never had any close calls when going up it, but the thought of people shooting at a spot directly below me was definitely on my mind the whole way up...

I guess its good if the pit itself is packed. It gets busier every weekend

Ill have to go there, too. Looks nice. Havent shot at tinkham for a looonng time so itll be nice to get back to it.

Originally Posted by BlackRidge

Yup, theres a road that goes along behind (& above) the pit. There are a few more spots up there, but not without 4x4 (after snow). I've never had any close calls when going up it, but the thought of people shooting at a spot directly below me was definitely on my mind the whole way up...

I guess its good if the pit itself is packed. It gets busier every weekend

The road is now gated off at that pit. No more going up past it without keys. Or at least it was last summer. We used to go camping and shooting up past that pit. Couldn't go last year as they had just installed that gate.

Here's a link to a map that shows where shooting has been closed to the public.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/conditio...0-corridor.pdf

I have a feeling the section I shoot at is within that area.

You guys know of any other areas that's out of the closure area? Not sure of which trail to take..

Latitude 47°21'49.69"N
Longitude 121°31'52.13"W

Take exit 47 off I-90. Take a right at the top of the over pass, then take a right on Tinkham Road. When you come to the fork, stay left. Keep heading up the road until you hit the gate. The pit will be on your left.

Thanks!

Anyone have any recent info on whether the road past the pit is going to be open this year? I know its early, but I've got a new-to-me 4x4 that is itching for some ideas for weekend dispersed camping with maybe a little shooting mixed in. Thanks!

It's currently open for the winter for some reason. I think for tree-cutting. Not sure on dates when it's open or closed though.

I went up here on Tuesday.I did not find the pit. At the first gate to a side road (which was open) the snow on teh oad became to high for my SUV so I stopped there. Thier was a bunch of brass and shells so the spot had been used previously. I set up and took a couple of short shots and headed out.

I forgot my gps so no coooridnates. Next time.

Originally Posted by wsu 5.9er

Latitude 47°21'49.69"N
Longitude 121°31'52.13"W

Take exit 47 off I-90. Take a right at the top of the over pass, then take a right on Tinkham Road. When you come to the fork, stay left. Keep heading up the road until you hit the gate. The pit will be on your left.

I checked it out this weekend. Too snowy to get to the pit in my stock 4x4. I made it up there in early April; this was newer snow. Crazy weather this year.

Based on my GPS, the pit is well out of the I-90 no target shooting corridor. Can you shoot off to the side of the road so long as your are out of the corridor? Why is the pit the only legal spot?

Side note - I saw a big ole brown-colored bear walking across the dirt on my way out. He froze when he saw me, and then darted into the woods. First time I've seen one up there.