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Pierce County Parks Update – December 2025

By Travis Curry, Regional Trails Planner, Pierce County Parks

The weather may be frosty, but trail work never ends! There’s a lot of exciting action in the Pierce County trails system.  

Foothills Trail Spiketon Ditch Bridge Ribbon Cutting 

Construction of the new bridge over Spiketon Ditch is finally complete! In June 2024, the original Spiketon Ditch Bridge was demolished due to extensive structural failure. The new bridge opened in September, re-establishing the full 24-mile route of the Foothills Trail from Puyallup to Enumclaw. Thank you to all who provided advocacy and input to kickstart this vital project.  

Foothills Trail Extension – Wilkeson to Carbonado Engagement 

Pierce County Parks, the Foothills Rails-to-Trails Coalition, the Action Mapping Project, and the National Parks Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program (NPS-RTCA) engaged with local communities and trail users over the summer to define public support of a trail extension between Wilkeson and Carbonado. The team launched a community survey to gather feedback on trail features and amenities. We are processing survey results and expect to publish a summary report this winter.  

The Wilkeson to Carbonado extension fits into a broader planning effort to extend the Foothills Trail from South Prairie to Mount Rainier National Park. Pierce County Parks will continue to evaluate routes between South Prairie and Wilkeson as funding allows.  

Parkland Community Trail  

Pierce County Parks broke ground on the Parkland Community Trail on September 27 at Sprinker Recreation Center. We expect to open the trail in 2026. 

The Parkland Community Trail will run 1.8 miles from Sprinker Recreation Center (Sprinker) to the north side of Tule Lake Road on the southern edge of the Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) Campus. Built in partnership with Pierce County’s Planning & Public Works Department, this project represents a new type of trail in unincorporated Pierce County. The trail will be built in the road right-of-way with a buffer from the street, offering a safe, accessible route for all users. The route aligns with the findings of Action Mapping Project’s youth engagement in the Parkland community and is the first phase of trail investments designed to enhance active transportation infrastructure in this dense, underserved neighborhood that has very few sidewalks or bike lanes.   

Phase 2 is in the planning stage and will connect the trail through PLU to Washington High School and Keithley Middle School, with more extensions under evaluation. For more details, visit: www.PierceCountyWA.gov/ParklandCommunityTrail.  

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President’s Message: December 2025

By Dan Bucci, President, Foothills Coalition

Hello fellow Coalition Members! I hope the fall season has been treating you all well, and as always, I hope you have all had some time to get outside and enjoy this cool and colorful season on our local trails. As always, we have been busy on our end, and I have a few updates to share. 

First, we were thrilled to celebrate the completion and grand opening of the new and improved Spiketon Ditch Bridge back in September. The loss of this bridge in late 2023 left a gap in a critical segment of the trail connecting Buckley and South Prairie with no available detour. We are extremely grateful for the outside the box thinking of Pierce County Parks to come up with an innovative solution to get the bridge replaced in a reasonable timeline and are happy to have our trail fully connected once again. It has been great to hear from trail users how happy they are to be able to yet again ride the full length of the trail.

Also back in September, the majority of our board attended the annual Pierce County Trails Conference hosted by ForeverGreen Trails. This event was a great networking opportunity where trail organizations, local governments, parks departments and community leaders gathered to discuss the state of trails in Pierce County and share information on how to best continue to grow and support our trail networks in Pierce County (and beyond). 

ForeverGreen Trails continues to do outstanding work advocating for trail development and construction in Pierce County. I encourage you to check out their fund drive to complete the “Puyallup Missing Link” that will complete a connection of two segments of the Puyallup River Walk Trail. This missing link is part of a broader 18-mile loop trail that will eventually connect the communities of Fife, Milton, Pacific, Sumner, and Puyallup and branch off the Foothills Trail. I strongly encourage all to donate to their fund drive here: https://www.forevergreentrails.org/riverwalk-fund

In October, we hosted our semi-annual board retreat where the Foothills Coalition Board got together and completed a refresh of our Strategic Plan that we developed back in 2022. During the retreat, our board did some teambuilding work and then dove into the strategic plan refresh and development of our 2026 work plan. It was great to get together and tweak our strategic plan to ensure it aligned with our current work activities and priorities and develop that into strategies and tactics to drive our work for the next few years. Needless to say, our top goals continue to be advocating and partnering to complete more miles of trail along and adjacent to the Foothills Trail.

Finally, it is with great sadness that I write that we recently lost a long-time board member and fierce supporter of the Foothills Trail. Pat Johnson passed away in early September. Pat was involved with the Foothills Trail and the Coalition from the early days and was a board member for nearly three decades. Additionally, she served on the Buckley City Council for fourteen years and then as Mayor of Buckley for 16 years from 2005 – 2021. Pat’s leadership during her tenure as mayor was instrumental in getting the White River Bridge project on the Foothills Trail connecting Buckley and Enumclaw completed. She served as a strong voice for trail and parks development at the local, county and state levels. 

Pat was also a frequent trail user, walking along the Foothills Trail or other local trails almost daily. It was always great to work with her, and anyone who spent time talking with her could see her deep passion and deep love for the Foothills Trail and how much it meant to her, and her community in Buckley. As our longest serving board member, she was also our de-facto historian and had deep knowledge of the history of the development of the Foothills Trail, as well as all those individuals that helped to make it a reality over the last forty years. To say that I, and this organization will deeply miss Pat is a gross understatement. The Coalition will be taking steps to place some type of memorial along the trail to honor Pat’s decades of love and stewardship of the Foothills Trail.

I wish you all the best through the holiday season, and as always am filled with thanks and gratitude for all your support.

-Dan

 

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Board Member Spotlight: Janine Williamson

For Foothills Coalition board member Janine Williamson, the trail isn’t just a place to ride or hike, it’s a living thread that ties her past, present, and future together. She joined the board just three years ago, but her connection to the trail goes back more than a century.

Janine’s great-grandfather emigrated from Finland in the early 1900s and made his way to Wilkeson where he worked in the coal mines. Her grandfather and great-aunt were born there, attended Wilkeson’s historic school, and grew up in a community shaped by mining, timber, and the rail line that once carried people and coal through the Carbon River Canyon. Her great-grandmother was a dressmaker in town, supporting the family after Janine’s great-grandfather became ill from his career in mining and passed away in a sanatorium in Tacoma.

As a child, Janine’s dad took her and her four siblings for long walks along the railroad tracks on the weekends, each carefully stepping along the railroad ties over the Carbon River outside of Coker while the water rushed underneath.

“I felt so small, like I could fall between the tracks, but my dad was there with me making sure we were all safe,” she said. “We just kept walking the tracks and made our way toward Wilkeson where there wasn’t any trail at all. We kept going until we got tired.”

Decades later, during the pandemic, Janine returned to the trails again, this time on a gravel bike. At first she didn’t make the connection of the trail to her childhood memories, but when she did, everything clicked.

“It was the same sound of the water, the same maple trees, truly heaven on earth just as I had remembered it,” she said. “I fell back in love with that stretch all over again.”

When she learned that the section was a missing link in completing a trail all the way from the Puget Sound to Mt. Rainier National Park, she discovered that the Foothills Rails-to-Tails Coalition was leading the effort to complete the trail and she was inspired to get involved.

Sharing her vision at the Coalition was Pat Johnson, former mayor of Buckley, who shared a similar Finnish ancestry. The two would imagine their ancestors riding the train and enjoying the same majestic views of the mountain that they did.

“This particular stretch of trail is why I’m on the board,” Janine said. “I’m obsessed in the best possible way and love being out there. I respect the people who came before us in this effort, everyone who has worked for decades to get the trail to this point, and I want everyone in our community to be able to enjoy it.

She also emphasizes the importance of the tribal lands the trail traverses and the stewardship of tribes like the Puyallup and Nusqually, whose fisheries and salmon habitat remain essential parts of the region’s history and future.

In addition to a personal love for the trail, Janine brings a strong sales and financial background accompanied by the refusal to take “no” for an answer. She believes the final miles of the Foothills Trail can be completed, but it will take partnership, persistence, and major investment.

“We need about ten more miles to close the remaining gaps,” she said. “That’s all – but those miles will take time, relationships, and big-time funding.”

In total, Parametrix estimates up to $40 million may be needed to complete the remaining stretch of trail but she believes it’s possible with the support of large local companies, estate gifts, and expanded trail membership programs.

She has seen first hand the possibilities interconnected trails create – herself riding 170 miles the week the Spiketon Ditch Bridge reopened (just because she could), and has talked to people who’ve made even longer treks – one pedaling from Kirkalnd, WA to San Francisco, CA in just five days. One day, rail trails could even connect Washington State to Washington, DC.

What energizes Janine most is the sense of unity she feels with the current board members and organization leadership.

“This group is so cohesive. Bre’s leadership is really moving us forward. She understands the vision and I think with this great group on the board, we’re going to make real progress,” she said. “We’re all passionate about exploring the outdoors, the potential of longer rides, and more adventure. It’s why we all live here in the PNW and we want these possibilities and amazing experiences not only for ourselves, but for our communities, and the generations to come.”

Board Member Spotlight: Pat Johnson

Reposted from Original Publication in the June 2023 edition of the Trail Line News in honor of former Board Member Pat Johnson.

As a Buckley native, the Foothills Trail has been a part of Pat Johnson’s life for decades. Before becoming the recreational trail we know it as today, the Foothills Trail was a series of railbeds cutting through towns that had formerly prospered from the mining and lumber industries. Johnson lived in Buckley as a court battle ensued over the tracks’ right of way, which was eventually awarded to the City.

“Doc Tait would round up people to help clear a primitive path on this new found City-owned property and I attended several work parties,” Johnson said. “The Foothills Coalition was looking for a few new board members especially for women. They asked me if I would take an active role on the Board and I said yes. That was about 25 years ago.”

Johnson added that whenever she sees a chance for improvement in her community, she tries to get involved. The proof is in her resume – during her time on the Foothills Coalition board, she served as a member of the Buckley City Council and the Mayor of Buckley – a position she held for 16 years, and during which, saw its positive impact on the local community.

“People are looking for things to do with families,” Johnson said. “The trails are safe pedestrian corridors. Walking is one of the best exercises that you can do. The trails are free. Who needs to pay a gym membership when you have a trail to walk on?”

Her favorite way to enjoy the trail throughout the years has been walking.

“Walking is slower than a bike ride and you can really hear the birds, eagles flying overhead, smell the grass and trees after it has rained,” she said. “You feel relaxed, sometimes exhausted but always ready for the next challenge of the day.”

And, in Buckley, in part under her leadership, Johnson has seen the Foothills Trail become much more than just a place for a walk and spend time with friends and family.

“In Buckley, the trail is the new Main Street. It’s our largest park and the cheapest park to manage. We have concerts in the summer, our skate park, library, museum, and youth center are all along the trail,” Johnson said.

And like many who serve and support the Trail, Johnson is looking forward to the potential the Foothills Trail has in both the near and long term future.

“The bridge across the White River into Buckley so you will soon allow trail users to ride a bike from Enumclaw to Puyallup,” she said. “Someday King County hopes to take the trail and connect to the Cedar River Trail. From there the sky is the limit!”

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Board Member Spotlight: Nicole Martineau

A calling to community service has driven Nicole Martineau throughout her life, and serving on  the Board of the Foothills Coalition has been one of her many destinations. As a lifelong Pierce County resident, Nicole has always gravitated toward leadership and service with early endeavors like serving as president of Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) in high school and organizing political forums while serving in the student government at Pierce College.

“I’ve always been service-minded,” she said. This is a theme that’s carried into her adult life and has included fundraising for muscular dystrophy to opening her home as a foster parent. “I think I’m drawn into these types of causes and organizations because I just like helping people.”

She was formally introduced to our local trails network in 2010 while serving on the Puyallup City Council, when she started attending Friends of the Puyallup Riverwalk meetings.

“I met the group which included people like Ernie Bay, Dixie Gatchel, and Bob and Diane Kastama and they reeled me right in with their passion and enthusiasm. They actually convinced me to walk the Riverwalk Trail dressed in a broccoli costume during a Families in Motion event,” she said.

There was crossover between the Friends of the Riverwalk Trail and the Foothills Rails-to-Trails Coalition, so naturally, Nicole’s relationship with the Friends eventually led her to the Foothills Coalition – an organization her dad, Bill Hilton, had already found a footing in.

Over the years, she has found a place not only among the great people involved in the Coalition, but in contributing to the policy, structure, and governance that has helped the organization thrive, especially in recent years. 

“The Coalition really started as this grassroots organization led by people who loved trails, but now it’s a structured, formal group with many stakeholders and important community relationships,” she said. “It’s important that we follow the solid structure and procedures we now have in place to sustain ourselves as an organization, keep growing, and moving toward the future the founders had envisioned when they started the group.”

While being a vital part of the Foothills Coalition, Nicole also serves at the President of Arts Downtown, where her second-in-command is fellow Foothills Board Member, John Hopkins.  The two work to bring the organizations together during the annual All Along the Riverwalk Festival in Puyallup, an important public event for both organizations to attract people to the Puyallup Riverwalk Trail and give local artists exposure in a beautiful setting.

“My goal of being on the Foothills board is seeing the legacy continue,” she said. “There’s a wide range of experience on the board and each member brings something valuable to the table. Together, we create a huge network that has helped us be successful, and working together will help us pursue our mission and continue the legacy for generations to come.”

Nicole lives near the trail in Puyallup and enjoys walking it with her family, including her husband, Jeff, a Sergeant for the Gig Harbor Police Department, and daughter Bella Rose, who volunteers with the Foothills Coalition. The family are also park lovers, with trips to National Parks among their favorite getaways.

Featured in photo: Nicole Martineau with husband Jeff, and daughter, Bella Rose

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President’s Message: September 2025

By Dan Bucci, President, Foothills Coalition

Hello fellow Coalition Members and Supporters! I hope you have all had a wonderful summer and have gotten to spend lots of time outside on our lovely trails, near and far! We’ve had quite a lot going on in the Coalition this summer, so let’s get to it and hit the high notes.

First off, we celebrated a huge milestone in early August with the official ribbon cutting and grand opening of the Foothills Historical Pavilion honoring Dr. Douglas Tait. The opening was well attended on a beautiful August evening in Buckley with many members of the community, the Coalition, Dr. Tait’s family, and local elected officials celebrating the new gathering space. I was personally thrilled with how great everything looks now that it is completed. I know that this will serve as a great community gathering space, a shady respite for those using the trail, and a great place to learn about the history of the trail, its founders, and the long-standing history of the area for the Puyallup and Muckleshoot Tribes who have been stewarding the land the trail sits upon for time immemorial. I want to give a huge thanks to all the supporters who made this project happen. This is such a great space to have at the new trailhead in Downtown Buckley!

Now let’s talk bridges…which seem to be plagued by issues in the Foothills Communities that straddle SR-165, SR-162 and SR-410. Let’s start with the good news! It looks like the Spiketon Ditch Bridge should be open for business sometime in the next few weeks if all goes well! We are thankful for Pierce County for all their efforts to expedite the project to replace the failed bridge. Back in November 2023 the bridge was declared structurally unsafe, and was closed and ultimately demolished in June 2024. The original estimates for the project had a bridge replacement project taking up to 3 years to complete. With some creative thinking and good support from Pierce County, a solution was devised to use an ACROW Bridge to replace the failed bridge. This bridge is modular and allowed for a shorter construction window, which will enable the closure time to be under 2 years. We are excited to get the trail fully linked back up, and this will now enable trail users to travel from Enumclaw to Puyallup, or vice versa, using the new White River Bridge and the replaced Spiketon Ditch bridge. It will feel quite good to have a fully connected trail once again!

Speaking of the White River Bridge, as many of us are (painfully) aware, the SR-410 bridge is now closed indefinitely across the White River due to a large truck striking the upper supports and causing considerable damage. Add this into the closed Fairfax Bridge and we now have a perfect storm of Foothills communities having extremely limited access during peak tourism and recreation season. Now more than ever it is important that we all do what we can to support the businesses in these communities, specifically Carbonado, Wilkeson and Buckley, who are experiencing the brunt of the impacts of the closure of these two critical bridges. Thankfully with the completion of the Foothill Trail White River Bridge last fall, the SR-410 crossing is not the only link between Buckley and Enumclaw. We can see the value of this new asset as bikers and pedestrians can make a relatively short trek between the two communities along the Foothills Trail. Also, the bridge on the trail was designed to be able to handle emergency vehicle traffic which is critical for the City of Buckley still having access to the hospital in Enumclaw, rather than having to rely on longer trips to places like Auburn or Puyallup. We are all hopeful that WSDOT can affect a quick repair on the SR-410 bridge and get traffic flowing again, but in the meantime hop on that bike and use the Foothills Trails to keep these two Foothills communities linked up. 

As for the Fairfax Bridge, WSDOT recently held community meetings to share the two lead options. Option 1 is to replace the failed bridge with a new bridge located nearby but to the north at an estimated cost of $160 million. The new bridge would require some new roadway and some rock cutting to get to the new location. The second option was to simply demolish the existing bridge, and not construct a replacement, at a cost of $80 million dollars. From the summary of public comments and feedback from the meetings, the public overwhelmingly supports construction of a new bridge. As I’ve said before, having a bridge is critical to the well-being of Wilkeson and Carbonado, which have many small businesses that rely on the traffic of tourists and recreational users heading up to Mount Rainier National Park, and the surrounding National Forest Lands in the area. A failure to construct a new bridge would be a dire loss for Pierce County as it would permanently cut off easy public access to iconic locations such as Carbon Glacier, Mowich Lake, the Carbon River Rainforest, and Clearwater Wilderness just to name a few. Please know that the Coalition will continue to be involved in this process as a key stakeholder, and we will continue to support a solution that restores access to these areas. 

As always, thanks for all your support and I wish you all a wonderful end of summer and fall season. 

-Dan

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Community Celebrates the Grand Opening of the Doc Tait Pavilion

After years of planning, fundraising, and community support, the Doc Tait Pavilion in Buckley is officially open! On August 7, 2025, the Foothills Rails-to-Trails Coalition and the City of Buckley welcomed trail supporters, families, and community leaders to celebrate this exciting milestone together.

We were especially honored to have Dr. Douglas “Doc” Tait’s children—Maura, Garnette, and Garth—and their families in attendance, as well as Heidi and Gretchen, daughters of trail founder Stan Engle. Their presence made the celebration deeply personal, reminding us that the Foothills Trail began with a handful of passionate community members whose legacy lives on today.

The ceremony featured remarks from longtime trail champions and civic leaders. Robin Partington reflected on Doc Tait’s role as the “Father of the Foothills Trail,” sharing more about who he was and the vision he carried. She reminded the crowd that “this pavilion is not just about one person—it represents the dedication of so many who refused to give up on the Foothills Trail.” Former Pierce County Parks Director Jan Wolcott spoke to the transformation of a bold vision into reality. Buckley Mayor Beau Burkett highlighted what the pavilion means for the city and its residents, while Councilmember Dave Morell closed the program by sharing reflections on the trail’s future.

The pavilion itself is the product of a remarkable collaboration. Parametrix designed interpretive signage to share the trail’s story in an authentic community voice, with the panels fabricated and installed by Plumb Signs. Bruce Dees & Associates managed project design, bidding, and construction oversight. And WS Contractors brought the vision to life, building the structure that now stands as a centerpiece along the Foothills Trail.

More than a building, the pavilion is designed to serve as a true hub for the trail. It provides a place to rest, gather, and learn—hosting community events, sharing interpretive history, and offering a welcoming trailhead for visitors of all ages.

Inside the pavilion, a donor recognition wall reads: “Thank you for supporting trails. Together we are making Doc Tait’s vision a reality.” That message reflects the generosity of all who gave—individuals, families, foundations, and community partners—whose support brought this project to life.

We also acknowledge the many Trail Champions whose vision and perseverance over four decades shaped the Foothills Trail. Their legacy is honored through our Trail Champions archive, available at foothillscoalition.org/trail-champions.

As the evening drew to a close, Dr. Tait’s daughter Garnette shared with Executive Director Breanna Fokes that her father would most likely have looked at the pavilion and said with characteristic humility, “you shouldn’t have.” Breanna closed her remarks by offering the community’s response: “Well… we did.”

The Doc Tait Pavilion now stands as both a tribute to the trail’s beginnings and a promise for its future—a welcoming gathering place where stories are told, connections are built, and generations will continue to experience the power of community vision.

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Pierce County Parks Update – June 2025

By Travis Curry, Regional Trails Planner, Pierce County Parks

Spring has sprung, the sun is out, and it’s time to get outside! There’s a lot of exciting action in the Pierce County trails system. 

Pipeline Trailhead at Orangegate South Park Grand Opening

We’re planning a community party to celebrate the Grand Opening of the Pipeline Trail Extension and Trailhead at Orangegate Park. The celebration will be at the Orangegate Park Trailhead on Saturday, June 28. Stay tuned for more details!

The Pipeline Trail is a partnership between Pierce County, the City of Tacoma, and Tacoma Public Utilities. The 1.3-mile extension from 72nd and Waller to Orangegate Park is nearly complete, creating 5.6 miles of uninterrupted trail. Future County extensions will add another 5.5 miles, connecting South Hill’s Nathan Chapman Memorial Trail to the City of Tacoma expanding options for active transportation and recreation. Visit the project website at www.PierceCountyWA.gov/PipelineTrail for more information.

Pierce County Parks is developing a community park on the 148-acre property known as Orangegate Park. The updated Master Plan, adopted in 2021 after community input, reflects a vision that balances natural preservation with active recreation and community use.

Currently, the “Orangegate North” area (the 40-acre area north of 84th Street East) is closed due to forest health improvements. We anticipate a grand opening in mid-2026. Learn more at www.PierceCountyWA.gov/Orangegate. 

Spiketon Ditch Bridge Closure Update

Pierce County Parks is constructing a new permanent bridge over Spiketon Ditch, located along the Foothills Trail. In June 2024, the original Spiketon Ditch Bridge was demolished due to extensive structural failure. The opening of the Spiketon Ditch Bridge is now expected in late summer to early fall. During construction, crews found unstable soil near the bridge supports, requiring additional testing and design work. We understand this delay is frustrating and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to complete this important project safely and responsibly. 

To receive updates about this project and other Foothills Trail alerts, please sign up to receive email updates at www.PierceCountyWA.gov/FoothillsAlerts.

Fairfax Bridge Closure 

As of Monday, April 14, 2025, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) permanently closed the state Route 165 Carbon River/Fairfax Bridge to all vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Pierce County is actively collaborating with interagency partners – including WSDOT, local jurisdictions, and land management agencies – to explore safe, long-term solutions for access, connectivity, and public safety in the Carbon River Corridor and surrounding areas. Please respect closures and use caution – recreation in the area is at your own risk. Please note that standard Pierce County Parks rules and policies remain in effect in this area.

Foothills Trail Extension – Wilkeson to Carbonado Engagement

Pierce County Parks, the Foothills Rails-to-Trails Coalition and the National Parks Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program (NPS-RTCA) are exploring a trail extension between Wilkeson and Carbonado. A community survey will launch this summer to gather feedback on trail features and amenities. Please participate and help shape the future of the trail! 

The Wilkeson to Carbonado extension fits into a broader planning effort to extend the Foothills Trail from South Prairie to Mount Rainier National Park. Pierce County Parks will continue to evaluate routes between South Prairie and Wilkeson over the next couple years. 

Parkland Community Trail 

The Parkland Community Trail will run 1.8 miles from Sprinker Recreation Center (Sprinker) to the north side of Tule Lake Road on the southern edge of the Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) Campus. Built in the right-of-way with a buffer from the street, the trail will offer a safe, accessible route for all users. The route aligns with the findings of Action Mapping Project’s youth engagement in the Parkland community and is the first phase of trail investments designed to enhance active transportation infrastructure in this dense, underserved neighborhood that has very few sidewalks or bike lanes.  

Phase 1 design is nearly complete. Construction is expected to start this summer and finish by summer 2026. It will connect Sprinker to Brookdale Elementary, PLU, Parkland Prairie Nature Preserve, and Gonyea Park. Features include a wide paved trail, bridge, safe crossings, signs, drainage, and landscaping. 

Phase 2 is in the planning stage and will connect the trail through PLU to Washington High School and Keithley Middle School, with more extensions under evaluation. For more details, visit: www.PierceCountyWA.gov/ParklandCommunityTrail. 

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Rainier to Ruston 2025 – A Memorable Event!

By Dan Bucci, President, Foothills Coalition

The 23rd running of the annual Rainier to Ruston Relay took place on June 7th, 2025 with 309 teams and approximately 1,500 runners taking to the Foothills Trails in Pierce County to celebrate National Trails Day. The event serves as the single largest fundraiser and revenue source for the Foothills Coalition Operating budget making it an extremely important event for the vitality and sustainability of the coalition.

The 2025 edition did not come without challenges! With just about two months until race day, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced the closure of the historic Fairfax Bridge just outside of Carbonado. The bridge serves as the only access point to cross the Carbon river and reach the traditional starting line for the event just outside the Carbon River Entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. This also caused the event to lose any access to the first two legs of the race which totaled about 13 miles. Race Director Sabrina Seher and Course Director Jerry Gamze quickly began scoping alternative routes and moved the start line to the town of Carbonado and replaced the two lost legs with legs in Tacoma which ran through downtown Tacoma, Stadium District, the North End and along the Tacoma Waterfront. Despite the change, the spirit of the event held up and runners made the traverse across a large part of Pierce County under sunny skies and warm temperatures on a beautiful summer day.

When runners finished, they were greeted at Cummings Park along Ruston Way in Tacoma with beautiful views of Mount Rainier and Puget Sound, as well as a beer garden featuring beer from Silver City Brewery and Athletic Brewing, and sandwiches and snacks to begin their recovery! Many teams hung out at the park for hours enjoying the wonderful weather and cheering for teams as they finished.

Teams of 2, 3, 4 or 6 runners tackle the 51 miles split over 12 legs running through the Foothills Communities of Carbonado, Wilkeson, South Prairie, Orting and Puyallup following the Foothills and River Walk Trails. As they progress further west the runners generally follow the Puyallup River through Fife and the Port of Tacoma. The race is designed to showcase the future vision of a non-motorized trail connecting Mount Rainier National Park to Tacoma. While large segments of the trail still don’t exist, the race generally follows the envisioned future routes that a trail might follow once it is developed.

In addition to the scores of runners that participate in the race, the event requires upwards of 100 volunteers and crew members to make the event a success. As always, the running community, Foothills Coalition members and supporters, and Foothills Coalition board members stepped up and gave their time to make the event a huge success.

The event will continue to face routing challenges with the long term closure of the Fairfax Bridge, and it will be many years before the race can return to Carbon Canyon. With that said, the race crew is already looking at ideas for the 2026 event to bring more of the event back to trails, and showcase other communities along the Foothills Trail as a long term alternate route. A huge amount of gratitude goes out to all the participants, volunteers, race staff and supporters for making the 2025 event a huge success!

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Board Member Spotlight: Steve Brown

By Ashton Brown, Editor, Trail Line News

If you’ve spent any time on the Foothills Trail or been part of the local cycling community, chances are you’ve crossed paths with Steve Brown, or at least benefited from his decades of passion and dedication to the outdoors. A board member of the Foothills Rails-to-Trails Coalition since 2011, Steve has long been a driving force behind the organization’s vision, dedicating countless volunteer hours to protect, maintain, and expand Pierce County’s trail system.

Steve grew up in Corvallis, Oregon, and was brought to Federal Way for a job at Weyerhaeuser, in the 1980s. Soon after his move, the journey into local trail advocacy began. He joined the Tacoma Wheelmen (now the Tacoma Washington Bicycle Club) at age 27, and the group’s weekly meetings connected him with the original pioneers of the Foothills Trail like Ernie Bay and he quickly found his place among a group of passionate outdoor enthusiasts.

A lifelong cyclist, backpacker, and cross-country skier, Steve describes his younger self as a “weekend warrior,” hitting the outdoors for hours a day every weekend, burning off all the calories accumulated during the work week. 

Steve has always enjoyed outdoor activities for the adventure, not the competition, challenging himself with endeavors like cycling the Olympic Peninsula, embarking on a nine-day solo bike tour from Tacoma to Portland and back, and hiking local mountains including Rainier, Hood, Adams, and St. Helens.

“I’m a member of the YMCA,” he joked, “but I never go, I just feel more productive outside – whether it’s going on the trail, or just doing some gardening, being outside in the fresh air is always better than being inside at the gym.” 

While a hip issue now keeps him away from the long-distance strenuous adventures of days past, Steve hasn’t slowed down. He walks the Foothills Trail regularly and is an active member of the Washington State Hi-Lakers, a volunteer group that surveys alpine lakes and works with Washington Fish & Wildlife to stock them. 

After entering retirement in 2009 after being laid off, Steve was presented with the great opportunity of dedicating more time than ever to his interest in the outdoors. He now volunteers up to 200 hours a year, mostly for the Foothill Coalition.

A sizable portion of those hours come from his involvement in the annual Rainier to Ruston Relay, the Coalition’s largest annual fundraiser. For nearly 20 years, he’s helped with everything from gravel inspections to trash pickups in anticipation of hosting thousands of runners. 

After more than two decades into his membership, Steve became a board member in 2011 and brought with him not only time and energy, but a strong desire to keep the Foothills Coalition on a path to success.

“I have this vested interest in local trails and enjoy staying really informed and up-to-date,” he said. “I think my knowledge and interest is valuable now and will continue to be down the line, as there are always challenges that we’ll be faced with.”

And during his nearly 40 years of involvement with local trails, Steve has seen the Coalition face its fair share of challenges, from a movement in the early 1990s to completely halt the progression of the Foothills Trail to current land use conflicts preventing the trail’s completion.

“Wilkeson still isn’t connected to Carbonado,” Steve said. “A lot of people who dreamed this dream have passed on. We want to see it done, a full route, separate from the roads, something people can bike or backpack over multiple days.” 

The good news? Progress continues – whether it’s the increasing volunteer support or the impending construction of the Doc Tait Memorial Plaza, which has been in the works for decades.

In addition to completing a trail from Mt. Rainier to the Puget Sound, Steve sees one of the most important missions of the trail to be building healthy communities and creating positive lifelong habits for the community. 

“Cycling and trails, those are the causes I’ve chosen to stick with. They’re great for the community. It’s not just about getting healthy later in life, it’s about making those habits possible from the start,” he said. “And that’s easier for everyone when local trails are accessible to all.”

Steve Brown continues to be a cornerstone of the Foothills Rails-to-Trails Coalition and his journey is far from over.