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We parked at the Yelm Trailhead parking lot which is behind the city hall at Railroad and Washington SW. The parking lot was small – about 15 spaces – and shared with parking for the city hall. The trailhead had a porty-potty and the remains of what was once a bench. The trail condition from Yelm to Rainier, which is 5.5 miles, had a number of root heaves. The root heaves were all pretty well marked with paint so you could avoid them. The trail condition from Rainier onward to Tenino was in better shape.
For the most part, the trail follows State Highway 507. At times, there are trees that act as buffer to the road. There are a number of low-traffic street and driveway crossings. The trail connects with the Chehalis Western Trail which heads north into Lacey. We continued on the Yelm-Tenino Trail. There aren’t that many benches along the way except for the trail intersection with the Chehalis Trail and near McIntosh Lake.
At about 11 miles, we decided to turn around and head back to the trailhead. If you had one day to cycle one trail, I would recommend the Chehalis Western Trail instead since it does not follow the state highway and offers more variety.
We rode the entire trail out and back starting near the intersection of SR410 off of East Main Street. The trail is paved but many sections are in poor condition. Some of the asphalt has bumps created by tree roots. These sections are marked by yellow paint lines but one has to wonder why the city doesn’t fix the trail. On other sections, overhanging trees and prickly berry bushes encroach on the trail. During our ride, it was obvious that the edges of the trail were recently mowed. However the debris from the trimmings was left on the trail instead of being cleaned up. It was a mess.
The most annoying aspect was the trail is poorly marked in some sections. How hard is it to put a directional sign to let you know which direction to ride? Also, the trail is not contiguous. Once in the town of Sumner, you must cycle for several blocks along a busy truck route before picking up the trail again.
For the most part, the trail primarily goes through industrial areas along with some open fields, woods, and neighborhoods. The trail was OK and an interesting way to see a part of the city you wouldn’t normally see. There were some benches along the trail and one or two bathrooms.
Major construction along the Seattle waterfront obliterates the trail. It will probably be another 5 years before the sea wall replacement, the 99 tunnel, and the tear down of the viaduct are finished and the trail is restored. Currently there are hard to see detours and pedestrian only paths.
Trail and parking areas are clean and well maintained. Its a long trail, with a long gradual elevation changes. The trail goes through the city of Orting which has a charming downtown area.
This is a short but scenic, out-and-back trail. We started at the south end at Columbia Point Marina Park and cycled north to the end point at the USS Triton Memorial Park. The distance was around 16 miles. The trail condition varies from being narrow at the developed marina to wider around midway. In one or two sections, you’ll need to watch for large tree roots encroaching on the trail. There is a break in the trail for a couple of blocks where you must cycle through a low-traffic neighborhood. Signs direct the way.
The trail passes through a number of parks (water, restrooms, picnic tables, etc) and generally follows the river. In some sections towards the end, the trail splits with one path designated for walkers and another path for cyclists. Easy to miss the directions for this section painted on the trail.
You can also extend your mileage as the trail connects directly to the Sacajawea Heritage Trail which continues underneath the bridge.
Overall, a nice trail which I would recommend.
I think without this map it would have been hard to follow this trail when it is on the surface streets. While the trail is in the green belt it is a nice afternoon walk.
We started in Cedar Falls and made it to Lake Easton State Park the first day, where we camped. Our bicycles were fully loaded, and by the time we got to the Snoqualmie Tunnel we were very tired of the uphill grind. The grade is never difficult, and you barely notice it, but after 20 miles your body is feeling it. There was a shortish patch between the tunnel and Lake Easton where the gravel was loose, which made the biking a bit difficult, but all in all it was pretty great. It was a 40-mile day, and there were lots of wilderness camping spots along the way. If we had known how long it would take us to do those 40 miles (about 8-9 hours), we might have chosen to camp at one of the wilderness spots.
At Lake Easton, we took one of the hiker-biker sites for $12.00. There are
two: #36 and #37. We were assigned #36, which is quite small. The other site (#37) is roomier.
The next day we biked 15 miles to Cle Elum, where we ended our ride. The first five miles out of the campground at Lake Easton were excruciating. It appeared that new gravel had been dumped on the trail for those five miles, and it was slow going and a bit scary for one of our friends who was clipped in. But once we got past that point, it was back to being a very pleasant ride.
My recommendation: Switch to flat pedals for this ride. You don't need to be clipped in!
Since we were camped at the nearby Hood Park, we drove to Sacajawea State Park to begin our ride there. The trailhead is not actually in the park but approximately 1/4 mile before entering the park on the right-hand side of the road. You can park in the State Park but it requires a Discover Pass or you can pull off the road and park across from the trailhead. We started from the park.
The section of the trail that runs through a Pasco industrial area is far from being scenic. You pass loading docks, distribution centers, vacant lots, and cross a number of railroad tracks. At some point you must cycle off-trail over the Charles Killbury Overpass to cross the railroad tracks and then follow the road for a short time before reconnecting to the trail. There are no directional signs in this short section but we figured it out after cycling through a neighborhood.
Once you go under the I-182 overpass in Kennewick, the area changes drastically. The views across the river are nice along with huge homes with perfectly manicured lawns line this side of the trail. Since we didn’t have a map, we cycled as far as Court Street and turned around and eventually cycled across the I-182 bridge to head back to Sacajawea park. The pedestrian/bikepath across this bridge is very, very narrow. Traffic is heavy and it is noisy. We cycled a short distance and eventually crossed the Cable Bridge. The path over this bridge was narrow, but not as narrow as the I-182 bridge. Once over the bridge, there were no signs as to where to pick up the trail again. We followed another cyclist for one block to the trail back to our truck
Our distance traveled was 20 miles. Note that brochures list the trail as being 23 miles but that mileage starts from Columbia Park in Kennewick and sticks to the Kennewick section. The section of the trail that we cycled was in excellent condition. Bring a map if you are not from the area.
Rode this trail over Memorial Day weekend. The weather was lovely, but sadly the trail was blocked about 1/2 mile east of Challenger Rd. There was a landslide and a large tree is blocking the trail. You can't go over ,under or around the tree. Apparently, you can ride up Challenger Rd and get back on the trail. Check a map, before you. do this. Trail needs a bit of cleanup. lots of horse pucks in the middle of the trail.
. . . be aware that after walking 15 minutes northward, the trail diverts from the river and becomes essentially a sidewalk along Interurban Ave. Then it briefly parallels, and then passes underneath, I-5. Ugh. But it resumes its more peaceful course next to the river just a few minutes' walk farther north.
Look for historical markers along that ugly stretch, too. There are at least two between the walkway and the river, and one mounted on a bridge.
You could start walking from the part of the trail right near I-5, parking in one of the nearby lots, and avoid that ugly part if you wanted to.
First visit in 2010, the 100th anniversary of the disaster. Read the book, White Cascade, for the compelling human stories within the story of the railroad.
I keep going back, even when recovering from chemo, even weeks before heart surgery. I enjoy introducing friends to this beautiful Washington hike and the story. The somber, hush-compelling snowshed sets us up for the overlook. Continue on the overlook at Scenic for a picnic lunch (cleanup your trash!). Return to Wellington and savor the experience. Stop at the Windy Point Interpretive spot (Look for the red Great Northern Caboose.) A good day trip from Seattle if you leave by 8:30 a.m.
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