The John Wayne Pioneer Trail (AKA the Iron Horse Trail) is a magnificent statewide asset stretching from Rattlesnake Lake to Tekoa and the Idaho border.
Or at least it should be.
Important sections of the trail are impeded by closed trestles and tunnels. General disrepair to the unimproved railbed makes biking, hiking and horse travel difficult. And there is are big stretches with irregular water access and other necessary facilities.
But the dream of a fully-functional statewide trail is alive and powerful after a brush with closure last year woke people up across Washington. Thanks in large part to the hard work of the Tekoa Trail and Trestle Association (“TTTA”), talk of giving the trail to adjacent landowners seems to have mostly disappeared.
Instead, the state’s Parks and Recreation Commission is looking to invest in the trail, both to improve public access to the trail and to get noxious weed problems under control (a concern from adjacent landowners). You can join in the second round of meetings 6–8 p.m. Tuesday at the Preston Community Center (right off the Preston-Snoqualmie Trail, a nice ride if you’ve never done it).
Ted Blaszak from the TTTA penned an op-ed in the Seattle Times recently outlining his group’s asks: (more…)
