Mike Salsbury/The Olympian
John and Barbara Norberg of Tumwater enjoy a walk Friday along the Chehalis Western Trail as the remnants of a winter mist linger. They usually walk about four miles each day on various sections of the trail.

Mike Salsbury/The Olympian
Olympia residents (from left) Richard Duke, Melody Mayer and Kerri Duke finish the 14th and final mile of the Chehalis Western Trail on Friday afternoon.

Final pieces of trail system fall into place

Grants will allow county to double paved trail miles

LORRINE THOMPSON, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published December 29, 2001

THURSTON COUNTY -- South Sound bicyclists, walkers, runners, skaters and equestrians will soon have miles of additional trails to enjoy.

Two large pieces of the county's trail puzzle have fallen into place, and construction is expected to begin next year on 7-mile segments of the Chehalis Western and the Yelm-Tenino trails.

Together, the trails provide about 30 miles of corridors connecting east and west, urban and rural areas of the county.

"Sometimes it all comes together at once," said Chuck Groht, operations manager for the Thurston County Parks and Recreation Department.

County parks officials have worked since the late 1980s on acquiring abandoned railroad beds to develop into a trail system.

However, large portions of the rail beds remain undeveloped and unusable.

Now the county has won a federal grant and an unexpected state grant that will allow it to approximately double the miles of paved trails that can be used for recreation, exercise and nonmotorized commuting.

One grant will allow the county to pave the last major, 7-mile portion of the Chehalis Western Trail, as well as build a trailhead park with restrooms, picnic facilities and access for horses.

The second grant will allow the county to pave 7 miles of the Yelm-Tenino Trail -- the final half of the 14.5-mile trail that links Rainier to Tenino.

Both new trail segments will include separate parallel trails for equestrian use.

"That will be a nice addition," Groht said.

Link to sound

The Chehalis Western Trail also links with the 6-mile Woodard Bay Trail owned by the state, which means trail users could travel from eastern Thurston County all the way to Puget Sound when the projects are complete.

"The trail is totally worth untold dollars. It's not a countable thing. It's something you provide for the community," said Pam Crocker, an avid bicyclist who has used the Chehalis Western Trail to commute to work.

"It's not just one sport. It's available for all people," Crocker said. "It's for children. What better entertainment is there than to put your child on a bicycle or skates and use the trail?"

Crocker said the community's support of bicycling and alternatives to cars was one reason her family moved to the county several years ago.

The trail system -- using the "footprint" of old railroad beds -- is separated from highways and busy streets and often travels next to lakes, rivers and farmlands.

"It's lovely, just lovely," Crocker said. "You feel safe. It's a good place to get started (bicycling) because you feel safe."

Last two segments

The county's two grants to complete the two segments are "a major, major event, because money is so short right now," she said. "This is not a short-term investment. This is the kind of thing that lasts for years."

The final leg of the railbed trail system the county hopes to complete is a section from the Tumwater area south to Rochester, called the Gate to Belmore Trail.

The land was acquired from Burlington Northern Railroad in 1996.

There also are other amenities planned for the trail system -- additional trailhead parks, for instance -- that will come later.

Groht said he doesn't know exactly when construction will begin on the two trail sections. Permitting is nearly complete on the Chehalis Western portion, and is still under way for the Yelm-Tenino portion.

Parks employees hope to have both sections complete by the end of 2002.

"We will get it done as soon as possible," Groht said.

Lorrine Thompson covers Thurston County and health care for the Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5431.

Trail information

For information on the Thurston County Parks and Recreation Department's trail system, as well as maps and directions to trailhead parks, visit the county Web site at www.co.thurston.wa.us. Click on "Departments" and then on "Parks."

On the Web:

- Chehalis Western Trail

- Thurston County Trails

- Woodard Bay Trail

- Hiking Links

Related stories:

- Ecological challenge: Woodard Bay area a place 'to come and be, not to come and do'

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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