Thurston County is designing trail extensions near Tenino, Glacial Heritage Preserve

Two trails in south Thurston County are slated to be extended over the next year to better serve the region.

Public Works staff is designing paved extensions for the Yelm-Rainier-Trail near Tenino City Park and the Gate-Belmore Trail near Glacial Heritage Preserve, which is south of Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve, between Littlerock and Mima roads.

Both projects are part of the county’s Trail Connectivity Program, an ambitious effort to link the county’s disparate trail systems and corridors. The Board of County Commissioners authorized staff to begin designing the two projects in April.

The Yelm-Rainier-Tenino trail extension would start at the Tenino Train Depot and run south along West Park Avenue to Crowder Road Southeast, according to county documents. Staff estimate it will cost $352,000.

In its current form, the Yelm-Rainier-Tenino trail is a 14.5-mile paved path that runs east-west from near Yelm City Hall to Tenino City Park, according to the county website.

Last year, the board considered four options for trail extensions that included early concepts for the two projects going forward. At the time, staff envisioned extending the Yelm-Rainier-Tenino trail 3.6 miles south to Bucoda.

The plan has been significantly scaled back, but it does set the stage for the county to eventually realize that vision, Road Operations Manager Mike Lowman told the board in April.

Tenino Mayor Wayne Fournier has advocated for the county to start this project. In an April news release about the city’s transportation improvement plan, Fournier expressed his support.

“Building out the trail system is a goal of mine,” Fournier said. “I think it’s good for our region and it gets bikes off the roads.”

Staff expect to request sealed bids for the Tenino project later this summer and construction to start as soon as September, Lowman said.

The Gate-Belmore Trail extension would run 1.6 miles from the access road to Glacial Heritage Preserve at the south to near Prairie Park Lane Southwest to the north, Lowman said.

This project would cost about $1.6 million, and about $450,000 of that would go towards building a new trailhead, according to county documents. This trailhead would feature an asphalt parking area with about 20 stalls, a picnic area and informational signs.

Constructing these improvements would officially open a portion of the trail to public use. The county acquired the 12.5 mile trail, formerly a railroad line, in 1996 and it has not yet been developed, according to the county’s website.

The board previously allocated $2 million for trail improvements as part of this connectivity program. However, Lowman said Public Works has requested an additional $500,000 in parks impact fees so it may extend the Gate-Belmore Trail development about 0.6 miles further.

Design on the Gate-Belmore project should be completed this year and construction may start in 2024, he said.

Spending money to build a trailhead near the preserve should help the county build momentum in this area, Lowman said.

“By constructing this portion of the trail first, public works will be more competitive for future grant opportunities, as we continue to develop this trail corridor,” Lowman said.