PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — A hiking trail in Pierce County is one step closer to expanding.
The new boardwalk is substantially complete on the Chambers Canyon Creek trail.
The Washington Conservation Corps posted online Thursday, saying ‘significant progress’ was made last month on the new connector trail.
“Our crew got to help with a really interesting and meaningful project to create a walking trail down to a nice area along Chambers Creek,” said the spike crew. “We’re looking forward to the finished project and for the public to be able to use the trail.”
According to the project website, when phase 2 is completed, there will also be two new timber bridges and timber stairs that will connect to the trailhead at Zircon Drive Southwest in Lakewood.
The first section of the trail down to Peach Creek was completed in December 2020. Crews built a new bridge crossing near Kobayashi Park and added a one-mile stretch between the trailhead at Chambers Creek Dam and Zircon Road.
The remaining two sections of the trail are scheduled to open in August.
When it’s finished, there will be about 1.17 miles of new trail.
The idea for the expansion came about in 2013. The Cities of University Place and Lakewood held a public open house to gauge interest in creating a trail through the forested canyon. The response was overwhelmingly positive, so they pressed forward.
In 2015, an interlocal agreement was adopted to guide the planning, design, and permitting work on this project.
It’s being funded by University Place, Lakewood, Pierce County, and a Recreation and Conservation grant.
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