Thurston County officials are considering extending and developing four trails to better serve the region.
Staff presented the four options to the Board of County Commissioners last week and identified an early front runner near Littlerock. However, the board delayed picking an option to pursue.
With these options, the county aims to link trail systems and corridors as well as improve accessibility in underserved areas, said strategic and long-range planner Shannon Shula.
"In south county, there's a lot of interest and needs of wanting to have more trails down there," Shula said. "So, we looked at those, and the Gate-Belmore trail comes up a lot."
Ed Marson, the county's Maintenance and Operations Manager, recommended the county start a feasibility study for developing the Gate section of the Gate-Belmore Trail. This development would run from Railroad Bridge 6, north of the Glacial Heritage Preserve, to Railroad Bridge 5 southwest of the preserve.
Marson said this project would cover 82 acres over four miles. It also would include a new trailhead, parking space, picnic tables and a portable restroom. While it would benefit the entire county, he pointed out it would directly connect to the Littlerock area.
"It also is adjacent to the Glacial Heritage Preserve," Marson said. "So, it will provide some beautiful scenic views and opens the potential for access to Glacial Heritage in the future when we're able to figure out how to open that up to the public."
Another option would be to connect Kennydell Park east of Black Lake to the Gate-Belmore Trail. This development would run just 0.25 miles but feature a new trailhead and parking space, Marson said.
The Gate-Belmore Trail has so far remained undeveloped with a gravel base, so improving it would allow the county to officially open it.
"We do have the trail signed as closed," Marson said. "We do not promote use of the trail for liability reasons, but people do use it currently."
The Chehalis Western Trail also could be extended 3.15 miles from where it intersects the Yelm-Rainier-Tenino Trail to Vail Loop Road, Marson said.
Additionally, the Yelm-Rainier-Tenino Trail could be connected to Bucoda, he said. This extension could start at Tenino City Park and run 3.6 miles south, mostly along State Route 507.
However, Shula cautioned that staff had done the least amount of background research on this extension. She said the county still needs to clarify what portions of the extension the county already owns and what parts may need to be acquired.
Shula and Marson did not have cost estimates to share for each of the four projects, but they noted the county previously allocated $2 million for trail improvements.
Spending that money to improve portions of trails and create starting points will help the county build momentum on the trail connectivity project, Shula said.
"If you start connecting and start doing these increments ... to all of these different locations, that makes us more viable for future grant opportunities," Shula said.
Though county staff recommended developing the Gate-Belmore Trail by the Glacial Heritage Preserve, the board delayed giving direction on the matter.
Commissioner Gary Edwards said he wants to review more details about how the trails would be developed and potential costs before making a decision.
Likewise, Commissioner Tye Menser said he wanted to see a comprehensive map of all the local trails to better understand how all public trails will connect. He described this trail initiative as a big investment for the region.
"This is our chance to try to realize those really big picture, (big) vision concepts," Menser said.
Commissioner Carolina Mejia was excused from the meeting.
County Manager Ramiro Chavez said the board would probably revisit this topic before the end of the month.
