Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail
The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail , formerly known as the John Wayne Pioneer Trail , is a former railroad track that traverses most of Washington State . It follows the former track bed of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) over 300 mi (483 km) across two-thirds of the state from the western slope of the Cascade Range to the Idaho border .
The former track bed of Milwaukee Road was acquired by the state via a quitclaim deed , in the Anglo-Saxon legal system, a waiver, in order to use it as a recreational route for non-motorized traffic; it is maintained by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. The State Legislature secured the corridor with all railway facilities via a right-of-way , which enables future re-commissioning as a railway line.
The trail was originally named the John Wayne Pioneer Trail in honor of the John Wayne Pioneer Wagons and Riders Association for helping set it up. The 100 mi (161 km) stretch from Cedar Falls (near North Bend ) to the Columbia River south of Vantage was developed and maintained by Iron Horse State Park . It was promoted to the National Recreation Trail in 2002 . In 2018, it was renamed the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.
history
Two Washington state officials from the 9th District attempted to reach a supplementary budget in 2015 that would close a 130 mi (209 km) section of the trail east of the Columbia River. It was later discovered that a text error describing the closed section as "from the Columbia River to the Columbia River" temporarily invalidated the supplementary budget.
In April 2018, Washington State Parks proposed renaming the trail and Iron Horse State Park to clear up the confusion. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission named the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail in May.
particularities
Access in the Iron Horse Park
The access points to the upgraded section of the trail managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission are located
- at Rattlesnake Lake , Cedar Falls - western terminus and connection to the Snoqualmie Valley Regional Trail
- at the Twin Falls
- in Hyak - with access to the 2.3 mi (3.7 km) long Snoqualmie Tunnel through the main ridge of the Cascade Range. In winter, this place offers access to a toboggan slope and ski hiking trails for cross-country skiing in the classic and free style from Hyak eastwards. A Washington Department of Transportation ski pass is required for winter parking. There is a state park shelter within walking distance.
- in Easton - to the descent on the eastern slope of the Cascades
- in Cle Elum - provides access to the Upper Yakima River Canyon
- in Thorp - near the historic Thorp Mill
- in Kittitas - in the wide agricultural valley of the Yakima River east of Ellensburg
- at the Army West - at the western end of the section through the shrub steppe landscape of the Yakima Training Center of the US Army
- at Army East - at the east end of the section through the Yakima Training Center, where the Columbia River is reached
tunnel
The trail passes through six tunnels, including the world's longest trail tunnel, the 11,894 ft (3,625 m) long Snoqualmie Tunnel, which was # 50 in the railroad's numbering system. The other five are arranged according to this numbering system: the Boylston Tunnel (# 45), the Thorp Tunnel (# 46), the Picnic Area Tunnel (# 47), the Easton Tunnel (# 48) and the Whittier Tunnel (# 49). The Boylston Tunnel was also known as the Johnson Creek Tunnel by the railway company, the # 46 and the # 47 also as the Thorp Tunnels.
Unpaved section
Access points to the undeveloped section of the trail, which is maintained by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, have not yet been officially opened to the public. The trail still provides access to the unique erosion landscape of the Channeled Scablands , and several sections can be considered as access to this area created by the cataclysmic Missoula floods ; the Missoula floods temporarily inundated what is now eastern Washington with the Columbia River Plateau during the Pleistocene . Washington State Parks are planning an access point in the former train station near Malden, once the site of the world's largest railroad hub.
Individual evidence
- ^ John Wayne Pioneer Trail . American trails. February 28, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
- ↑ Typo stalls effort to close part of John Wayne Trail . In: Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce , September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- ↑ John Babcock: Wording error keeps John Wayne Trail open . In: Moscow-Pullman Daily News , September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- ↑ Kayla Bonar: State looks at renaming Iron Horse-John Wayne trail . In: Yakima Herald , April 2, 2018. Archived from the original on April 14, 2018. Retrieved on April 14, 2018.
- ↑ Crystal Paul: Former John Wayne Pioneer Trail renamed Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail . In: The Seattle Times , May 17, 2018.
- ↑ Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission: Your Guide to the John Wayne Pioneer Trail - Iron Horse State Park 2008: "Brochure Distributed at Access Points"
