Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail
Story by Chase Beyer | Photos by Samantha Cabeza
Explore Washington’s nature and travel on a trail in your backyard, the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail.
The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail is approximately 285 miles long, which stretches across the state of Washington. The trailhead is located near North Bend, WA at Cedar Falls and it finishes in Tekoa, WA near the Idaho border. The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail even runs through Ellensburg, WA.
The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail spans from Western to Eastern Washington State.
Fred Wert, at Palouse to Cascade Trail Coalition says that the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail is accessible all year long for non-motorized use, running, biking, riding horses, cross-country skiing and even snowmobiling in some areas.
The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail has not always been a trail.
Kevin Belanger, at Rails-To-Trails Conservancy (RTC) says the trail was founded on what used to be the Old Milwaukee Road railroad.
“There was a major situation in the 80’s. A lot of railroads were no longer being needed for service…The trails movement really came about because we saw so many rail lines being abandoned and recognizing just how important they are to create walking and biking corridors because often rail lines went right through towns right through small towns,” he says.
Belanger is the lead planner on the Great American Rail Trail, which is the effort of connecting a trail from Washington state to Washington D.C. The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail is special because it is the main segment for Washington State, and one of the largest trails in the country.
“I want people to recognize that this part of a local trail which is part of a state division, which is part of the national division,” Belanger says.
The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail is unique because the trail runs through many different towns.
“It gives you the access to walk and bike just in your neighborhood but it also gives that tourism feel, where you can actually go from town to town and have amenities and resources along the way,” Belanger says.
The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail is receiving renovations on the Beverly Bridge and the Tekoa Trestle.
“The Beverly bridge that's being built right now over the Columbia River should be opening to the public before the end of this year,” Belanger says. “But it should be having a ribbon cutting and a big formal celebration in the springtime.”
Wert expects to see a lot more people using the trail after the projects are done.
“I think that you could just see the beauty of the different places of where it goes along to,” Belanger says.