The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, formerly known as the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, is a rail trail that spans most of the U.S. state of Washington. It follows the former railway roadbed of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) for 300 miles (480 km) across two-thirds of the state, from the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains to the Idaho border.
The former Milwaukee Road roadbed was acquired by the state of Washington via a quitclaim deed, and is used as a non-motorized recreational trail managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. State legislation "railbanked" the corridor with provisions that allow for the reversion to railroad usage in the future.
The trail was originally named the John Wayne Pioneer Trail in honor of the John Wayne Pioneer Wagons and Riders Association for their assistance in creating the trail. The 100-mile (160 km) portion from Cedar Falls (near North Bend) to the Columbia River south of Vantage has been developed and is managed as the Iron Horse State Park. In 2002, it was designated a National Recreation Trail. In 2018, the trail was renamed to the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.
Video Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail
History
In 2015, two Washington state representatives from the 9th district attempted to include language in an amendment to the state's 2015 capital budget that would close a 130-mile-long (210 km) section of the trail east of the Columbia River. It was later revealed that a typo, referring to the closed section as "from the Columbia River to the Columbia River", nullified the amendment temporarily.
In April 2018, Washington State Parks proposed renaming the trail and Iron Horse State Park to resolve confusion. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission adopted a new name, the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, in May.
Maps Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail
Trail Features
Iron Horse Park Access
Access points to the developed portion of the trail, managed by Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, are at:
- Rattlesnake Lake, Cedar Falls - western terminus and connection to the Snoqualmie Valley Regional Trail
- Twin Falls
- Hyak - provides access to the 2.3-mile long Snoqualmie Tunnel through the crest of the Cascade Mountains. In winter this site provides a public sledding area and ski trails groomed for track and skate style cross country skiing from Hyak eastward. Washington DOT Sno-pass parking is required at this site in winter. Within walking/snowing/skiing distance is a state parks owned lodge.
- Easton - descending the eastern slope of the Cascades
- Cle Elum - provides access to the Upper Yakima River Canyon
- Thorp - near the historic Thorp Mill
- Kittitas, Washington - in the open farm valley of the Yakima River drainage east of Ellensburg, Washington
- Army West - at the western edge of the stretch passing through the shrub-steppe country of the U.S. Army's Yakima Training Center
- Army East - at the eastern edge of the stretch passing through the Yakima Training Center as it reaches the Columbia River
Tunnels
The trail features six tunnels, including the longest trail tunnel in the world, the 11,894-foot (3,625 m) Snoqualmie Tunnel, which was #50 on the railroad's numbering system. The other five tunnels in order are the Boylston (#45), Thorp (#46), Picnic Area (#47), Easton (#48) and Whittier (#49). The Boylston Tunnel was also known as the Johnson Creek tunnel to the railroad and sometimes tunnels #46 and #47 are known as the Thorp Tunnels.
Undeveloped
Access points to the undeveloped portion of the trail, managed by Washington State Department of Natural Resources, have not been formally opened to the public. However, the trail provides access to the unique geological erosion features of the Channeled Scablands regions of the state of Washington, and several stretches have been recognized as providing access to this area created by the cataclysmic Missoula Floods that swept periodically across eastern Washington and down the Columbia River Plateau during the Pleistocene epoch. At Malden, once home to the largest railroad turntable in the world, Washington State Parks is planning a trailhead in the former rail yard.
References
External links
Media related to John Wayne Pioneer Trail at Wikimedia Commons
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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