Читать книгу Rail-Trails Washington and Oregon - Rails-to-Trails Conservancy - Страница 18

6 Chehalis Western Trail

County

Thurston

Endpoints

Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area (Olympia) to WA 507 near the Deschutes River (Rainier)

Mileage

21.2

Roughness Index

1

Surface

Asphalt

The Chehalis Western Trail follows the route of a Weyer­haeuser Timber Co. railroad by the same name that carried millions of logs out of Washington forests to the coast for shipment from the 1920s to 1980s. Today, the 21.2-mile trail is the backbone for trails that link every major town in Thurston County, including the state capital, Olympia.

From the Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area (NRCA) on Puget Sound, the trail passes through forests, farms, and pastures, as well as the suburban community of Lacey, as it heads south into the hills overlooking the scenic Deschutes River valley to its intersection with the Yelm-Tenino Trail.

Users can find trailheads with parking at Woodard Bay, Chambers Lake at 14th Avenue Southeast, 67th Avenue Southeast, and Fir Tree Road between Summerwood and Country Vista Drives Southeast. Parking spaces for two or three cars are located at several other street crossings.

Serving as the backbone for Thurston County’s regional trail network, the Chehalis Western Trail can be its own adventure, or it can be enjoyed in conjunction with other trails.

If you start at the Chehalis Western Trailhead, you’ll be able to hike the Upper Overlook Trail through Woodard Bay NRCA, unless you’re there between April and August when the trail is closed for nesting herons. The path (hiking only) follows a siding of the former main line that crossed Woodard Bay and Weyer Point and ended at Weyerhaeuser’s log dump in Chapman Bay, where logs were floated to mills in Everett. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources replanted the rail right-of-way and removed most of the trestles to restore the natural habitat here.

Heading south, you’ll arrive in Lacey to find pedestrian bridges over Martin Way Southeast, I-5, and Pacific Avenue Southeast. Just south of that third bridge, the trail crosses the Woodland Trail, which serves as a 2.5-mile connection to Olympia.

Trail traffic can get crowded in Lacey, where the old railroad corridor bisects new neighborhoods. South of town, trail users have to negotiate a short stretch of dirt trail and road shoulder to avoid an above-grade railroad crossing. After that, you’ll pass the fast-flowing Deschutes River and an outdoor sculpture park before arriving at the end of the trail. There’s no parking or services here, but a 2-mile ride northeast on the Yelm-Tenino Trail takes you to Rainier, where you’ll find a small grocery, restrooms, and a restaurant.

CONTACT: co.thurston.wa.us/parks/trails-chehalis-western.htm

DIRECTIONS