From the gravel lot on 96th Avenue NE, the Front 9 of the former Wayne Golf Course looks much as it did over the summer. The difference is across Waynita Way. Since September 8, the City of Bothell has had the whole Back 9 closed for the Sammamish River & Waynita Creek Restoration Project, and it stays closed through 2027.
So Bothell's largest park is now two worksites running on different schedules. Contractors are reshaping a creek on the east side. On the west side, volunteers spend Saturday mornings caring for young native plantings by hand. Only the volunteer half is open to residents, and three of those mornings fall between now and the holidays.
Where the fence runs, and for how long
The city's FAQ for the project says the closed area runs "from Waynita Way to the bottom of the forested slope on the east side of the property." The Tolt Pipeline easement is still reachable from Blyth Park. The Front 9 and Blyth Park both stayed open when construction began.
| Milestone | Timing, per the City of Bothell |
|---|---|
| Construction begins | September 8, 2026 |
| Back 9 closed to the public | Through 2027 |
| Construction wraps | Winter 2027 |
| Park trails reopen | 2028, with the city's release saying early 2028 |
| Newly landscaped areas | Fenced for a one-year plant establishment period after trails reopen |
Pay attention to that last row. Reopening day in 2028 brings back the trails, but the new planting beds will stay behind fencing for another growing year. Anyone walking the Back 9 that spring will be looking at young plants from a path.
The half that cost more to save is the half being rebuilt
The Back 9 is getting the heavy work because of how the property was saved.
Whale Scout's project history says the course opened in 1931 and stayed a local fixture through the 20th century. In 2014 its owners announced it would close and the land was slated for development. Residents formed OneBothell to protect it, and with help from Forterra and King County the City of Bothell bought it at the end of 2017.
The two halves had different histories before that. In 1996, according to The Seattle Times, Bothell bought a conservation easement with King County funds covering 46 acres of the Front 9. The Back 9 had no such protection. When Forterra announced its role in February 2016, it said it was financing an interim purchase of the 39-acre Back 9 for $7.125 million and had agreed to buy the 50-acre Front 9 for $3 million. The Back 9, the smaller piece and the one without the 1996 easement, cost more than twice as much.
Ten years later, the expensive half is getting the large construction project, and the half that has been protected since 1996 is where the volunteer work happens.
What the crews are building on the Back 9
The City of Bothell's groundbreaking release lists the work. Crews will re-meander parts of Waynita Creek, reconnect groundwater to the stream, and widen its floodplain. They will also build slow-water refuge and cold-water habitat for migrating Chinook salmon, add wetlands and large wood, clear invasive plants, and plant native trees and shrubs.
Councilmember Carston Curd tied the project to the City Council's 2040 Vision in that same release:
"By restoring this vital salmon habitat, we're not only investing in our environment and region, but also our whole community by creating a space we can connect with, learn about, and enjoy nature together."
When construction ends, the city plans for the restored area to include trails, pedestrian bridges and viewing areas. The funding list is long. It includes the Washington Department of Ecology through the Climate Commitment Act, King County Parks and the Flood Control District, WRIA 8 (the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed), the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration Fund, the EPA, Forterra, Meta and Swire Coca-Cola USA. More updates are at bothellwa.gov/Waynita.
What volunteers are doing on the Front 9
The west side has been under restoration for years, and the work is done by hand. Whale Scout has partnered with Bothell Parks and Recreation on the property since 2019. Volunteers pull Himalayan blackberry and English ivy and replace them with native trees, with the aim of shading the water and adding tree canopy along the river. The nonprofit's event pages say the property has "nearly a mile of shoreline" along the Sammamish River.
You can see that work from the trails. A June 16, 2026 trip report on Washington Trails Association described much of the property being reforested with natives, with a small crew working the day of the visit. The main gravel paths were in good shape, but many secondary paths were overgrown or blocked by new plantings. The same report listed a blue heron, swallows, a towhee and ducks, plus butterflies on the muddy edge of the Sammamish Slough.
Those secondary paths are where the next round of work happens. Whale Scout's fall and winter events are about caring for plantings that are already in the ground, and every one is on the open half of the park. According to the listings, the vegetation they look after will help shade, cool and clean a small stream that empties into the Sammamish River.
Three Saturday mornings on the Front 9
Whale Scout has three work parties scheduled on the west side through the end of the year.
| Date | Time | Meeting point |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, November 21 | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Clubhouse parking area, 16721 96th Ave NE |
| Saturday, December 5 | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Clubhouse parking area, 16721 96th Ave NE |
| Saturday, December 19 | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Clubhouse parking area, 16721 96th Ave NE |
You have to sign up in advance through Whale Scout's November 21 event page or the matching December listings, and space is limited. A confirmation email goes out two to three days before each event. Tools, gloves and light snacks are provided. All ages are welcome. Anyone under 16 needs an adult with them, and anyone under 18 needs a release form signed by a parent.
Whale Scout's packing list for the November event:
- Comfortable, water-resistant clothes
- Long pants and long sleeves, since there is blackberry on site
- Closed-toe shoes
- A reusable water bottle
The November 21 listing names a long list of partners: the City of Bothell, King County Wastewater Treatment Division, WDFW, Forterra, King County Parks, the King County Flood Control District and WRIA 8. Several of them also appear on the funding list for the Back 9 construction, so the same agencies are paying for the excavators on one side of Waynita Way and the volunteer gloves on the other.
Getting in while half the park is closed
None of the access points into the open half has moved.
- The Wayne lot. According to WTA's directions, head west on Bothell Way NE from downtown, turn left on 96th Avenue NE, and the lot is on your right in about a quarter mile. The June trip report counted free parking for about 30 cars and a couple of portable toilets.
- Blyth Park. The same June report says Blyth Park has full restrooms and more parking, and you can walk over from there easily. The city also notes that you can reach Blyth Park on the Burke-Gilman Trail.
- The Tolt Pipeline easement. It is still accessible from Blyth Park while the Back 9 is closed.
The June report also mentioned that road construction had closed a small underpass to the park's east side, though pedestrians could still cross the street. That was before the Back 9 fence went up. Check the City of Bothell project page before you plan a route that depends on it.
December 5 runs from the riverbank to Main Street
The second work party lands on the same Saturday as the Bothell Tree Lighting Festival, a Northshore Rotary Foundation event held on the first Saturday of December. The festival's schedule has a holiday market from noon to 5 p.m. and festival activities from 4 to 6:30 p.m. At 5 p.m., Santa arrives on a Bothell Fire Department truck at 102nd Avenue NE and Main Street to light "Lucky." After the lighting there are selfies with Santa at First and Main Design Market, 10100 Main Street.
Lucky is a grand fir that once stood 112 feet tall and has survived two major fires downtown. LIFE Magazine once called it "The World's Largest Living Christmas Tree," and it has been the center of Bothell's holiday celebrations since the early 1930s. That is about when the Wayne Golf Course opened in 1931. If you miss the ceremony, the tree is lit every night from December 6 through New Year's.
So on December 5 you could tend new plantings on the Front 9 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and get to the market on Main Street before it closes at 5 p.m., right as Santa lights Lucky.
If your home is near Wayne Open Space and you're wondering how a park that reopens in 2028 might figure into its value, Wanis Nadir can walk you through what nearby sales show. Get Your Instant Home Valuation.
