Forbes Creek (Washington)

Forbes Creek
Aerial view of Kirkland with Forbes Creek watershed highlighted. North is up. Downtown Kirkland on Moss Bay is slightly left of center, Juanita Bay is at upper left. Forbes Lake is northeast of the I-405 cloverleaf.
Map showing the course of Forbes Creek, wetlands, and the approximate extent of its drainage area
Location of the mouth of Forbes Creek in Washington Show map of Washington (state) Forbes Creek (Washington) (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location
Country	United States
State	Washington
Region	King County
City	Kirkland, Washington
Physical characteristics
Source
• coordinates	47°40′48.5″N 122°10′4″W / 47.680139°N 122.16778°W / 47.680139; -122.16778
• elevation	360 ft (110 m)
Mouth	Juanita Bay Park
• location	Lake Washington
• coordinates	47°41′56″N 122°12′39″W / 47.69889°N 122.21083°W / 47.69889; -122.21083
• elevation	16 ft (4.9 m)
Length	2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Basin size	6.6 sq mi (17 km2)

Forbes Creek is a small, moderately sloping creek wholly within the city of Kirkland, Washington.^[1] From its headwaters on the Rose Hill moraine to its outlet at Juanita Bay is c. 2 miles (3.2 km) as the crow flies. The northern extent of its basin is a nearly east–west line at NE 116th Street; the eastern boundary is at the Rose Hill ridgeline, roughly north–south at 132nd Avenue NE. The southern extent is irregular trending roughly from Kirkland's high point at the northeast corner of Bridle Trails State Park (535 ft (163 m), 47°39′26″N 122°10′21″W / 47.65722°N 122.17250°W / 47.65722; -122.17250^[2]) through South Rose Hill Park, to Lake Washington at 16 feet (4.9 m) above sea level.^[3]

Two major branches of the creek rise on Rose Hill between NE 70th Street and NE 85th Street and then run south to north on Rose Hill. One rises in the vicinity of Lake Washington High School and runs north past Costco #008 to Forbes Lake. The other rises slightly to the east in the vicinity of Rose Hill Elementary School then through North Rose Hill Woodlands Park. The two join north of the lake then run west through a two-meter culvert under Interstate 405 near NE 100th Street,^[4] under the Cross Kirkland Corridor, into the Forbes Creek Valley and Juanita Bay Wetlands Park. The creek finally empties into Lake Washington at Juanita Bay, less than a kilometer from the mouth of Juanita Creek which empties into the same bay.