SR 18 continues northeast along the southeastern city limits of Kent, through an interchange with Southeast 304th Street, towards Covington. The freeway intersects SR 516 in a diamond interchange and 256th Street Southeast in a partial cloverleaf interchange before leaving Covington. SR 18 intersects Southeast 231st Street in a diamond interchange located north of Maple Valley, providing a connection to SR 169, while the freeway travels on an overpass over SR 169 towards a partial cloverleaf interchange with 244th Avenue. The SR 18 freeway ends northeast of a partial cloverleaf interchange with Issaquah-Hobart Road at the base of Tiger Mountain, becoming a two-lane highway with at-grade intersections for the remainder of its route. The highway travels on the east side of Tiger Mountain in the Issaquah Alps and provides access to a trailhead in Tiger Mountain State Forest before it reaches its eastern terminus, a diamond interchange with I-90 located west of North Bend. I-90 provides access to the cities of Issaquah and Seattle to the west and North Bend and Spokane to the east, traveling over the Cascade Mountains through Snoqualmie Pass. The roadway continues past the interchange as Snoqualmie Parkway into the city of Snoqualmie, intersecting SR 202.