Willapa Hills Trail in 2016
One of Lewis County’s greatest natural resource expansion projects of the last 30 years has been the Willapa Hills Trail.
This former railroad grade is now a beautiful trail linking Chehalis and South Bend. Many of us are most familiar with the paved portion from the Chehalis Steam Train area to Adna, but the trail actually continues west, running through gorgeous woods and river areas, over the peak of “Pluvius” and into Pacific County.
I regularly drive past the trail crossing on Shorey Road in Chehalis, and see countless people running, walking, biking and otherwise enjoying a walk through classic Lewis County countryside. Especially during the pandemic lockdown, this trail has been a real blessing.
It’s also a big tourism draw, bringing people in from outside the community for a fun day trip.
The full 26 miles of the trail in Lewis County are in pretty good shape, but once you cross Pluvius Hill, parts of that segment of trail aren’t in the best shape. Bridges are failing and detours are required.
Some very good news is potentially on the horizon, however, and all of us have a chance to help make it happen.
The Washington State Parks Department, which oversees the trail, has put in a grant application to the Washington State Resource and Conservation Office for $1.2 million to renovate four former railroad trestles into river and creek crossings safe for pedestrians, cyclists, hikers, runners, horse riders and others to use.
This project would make the trail continuous for nearly 40 miles, between Chehalis and Lebam.
My friend Chris Brewer, an avid cyclist and president of Lewis County Community Trails, tells me that two of those bridges are especially critical: two deteriorating trestles deep in the Pluvius Hills at trail mile 32, about 2 miles east of the tiny hamlet of Frances. (You can read the grant application here: www.bit.ly/WHT-Grant-2020)
This is a rather remote area of trail that crosses over a creek below with no good alternate route, Brewer said. Fixing these two bridges would unlock more of the trail westward and make a trip to South Bend possible with minimal detours around washouts further down the trail — washouts that aim to be addressed with further grant funding.
This project is in Pacific County, but Lewis County stands to benefit as long-distance trail users will see Chehalis and Rainbow Falls State Park as great starting points, Brewer tells me.
“West Lewis County, an area that sees a fraction of what the eastern portion of the county sees in regards to tourism, could see a significant boost with Pe Ell and areas nearby becoming major strategic points for people looking to visit the most scenic stretches of the trail,” Brewer said.
This is where you come in.
Washington State Parks could use signs of community support in their grant application.
Members of the public, especially trail users and trail supporters, are urged to write letters of support to be included in the grant proposal.
Send your email of support to Michael Hankinson of the state parks department at michael.hankinson@parks.wa.gov.
“We’re really not that far out from seeing the Willapa Hills Trail completed if this gets funded,” Brewer said. “How awesome would it be to be able to ride your bike from Chehalis to Willapa Bay and even the Pacific Coast?”
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This week there will be an online memorial service for “Pistol Packin’” Patti Morton, a remarkable daughter of Lewis County who died last October at age 84.
Morton was America’s first female diplomatic security special agent. Her life story is incredible, and deserves a full column.
Suffice it to say, from her start in the Napavine School District, she truly became a global icon of modern-day intelligence gathering. I suspect the stories told during her memorial will be truly memorable.
Watch the ceremony live this Tuesday, July 28, at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. Eastern, where it's being held in her longtime hometown of Washington, D.C.) The ceremony is being held as part of the “Heroes of U.S. Diplomacy” program by the National Museum of American Diplomacy.
Watch it live on YouTube at www.bit.ly/Patti-Morton-Memorial.
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Brian Mittge can be reached at brianmittge@hotmail.com.
