Twenty years ago, a group of hikers, conservationists and passionate Washingtonians completed a now-famous hike from Snoqualmie Pass to Seattle.

This watershed moment marked the birth of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the character, the landscape and the local communities that make up the remarkable corridor between Seattle and Ellensburg.

In addition to the wonderful natural areas for which the region is famous, the Greenway Trust has also retained a focus on the communities that played a key role in the development of Seattle and its surrounds.

And so it is fitting that Kirkland will later this month host the inaugural Mountains to Sound Greenway 20th Anniversary Traveling Photo Exhibition.

The exhibition will feature 30 images of the Greenway taken by the people who live, work and play in the cities, towns and open spaces from Seattle east to Central Washington – featuring amateur photographers of all ages and abilities.

The photographs were selected by exhibition curator, Seattle photographer Dave Schiefelbein, from the hundreds of entries in this year’s Mountains to Sound Greenway 20th Anniversary Photo Contest.

The exhibition, printed by Panda Lab in Seattle and framed by Annie’s Art and Frame in Ballard, will be on display Nov. 28 to Dec. 16, at Parkplace Books, 348 Parkplace Center.

The exhibition is on a tour of the Greenway throughout 2011 and the first quarter of 2012, including stops in Duvall, Ballard, Issaquah, Roslyn, Ellensburg and downtown Seattle.

In addition to having their photographs admired across the Greenway, the winning photographers in seven categories were awarded prizes courtesy of regional businesses, including Seattle Paragliding, Small Lot Wine Co-op, Mountaineers Books, Rill Adventures of Thorp, Emerald Water Anglers, Moonphoto Lab of Seattle, and Glazer’s Camera.

“The Greenway is as much about the people who live and visit here as it is about the landscape itself,” said the Greenway Trust’s Executive Director Cynthia Welti. “This is exciting; to see the place from so many different perspectives – from young students to people who have lived here for decades.”

For more information on where you can see the Greenway Photo Exhibition in 2012, call the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust at 206-382-5565, or visit mtsgreenway.org/photocontest