Trail from Yakima to Mount Rainier park aims for June opening

YAKIMA, Wash. — Backers of the William O. Douglas Trail between Yakima and Mount Rainier National Park say they've made key steps toward a planned June opening.

The city of Yakima recently released a map showing the city portion of the route, which starts at Davis High School and proceeds past the late Supreme Court justice's home site on Fifth Avenue.

And the National Park Service has agreed to provide technical staff with trail expertise to help develop the entire route.

Given that the project has been in the works for more than five years, setting the official opening date earlier this year provided a goal for organizers and a mental landmark for the public.

The Yakima stretch is important for much the same reason, said executive director Betsy Bloomfield of the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy, part of the trail task force.

"It helps us really declare that the William O. Douglas Trail is in (the works) and the key partners are collaborating to make it real for Yakima," Bloomfield said.

Douglas grew up in Yakima and graduated in 1916 from Yakima High School, now known as Davis. He went on to become the longest-serving justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. He was 81 when he died in 1980.

His boyhood home was moved decades ago from its property at the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, said Ted Gamlem, chairman of the trails task force. It's not known what became of the home.

The Yakima School District, which now has its administration headquarters at the location, has agreed to let the task force paint a Douglas-themed mural on a block wall near the intersection.

Ken Wilkinson, manager of the Yakima parks and recreation department, was instrumental in identifying a safe pedestrian route from Davis to the city's northwest corner, Gamlem said.

Although the best route from the 40th Avenue area still needs to be identified, the trail may border Powerhouse Road on the way toward Cowiche Canyon and beyond.

The full route to Rainier is not identified and connected yet, but Gamlem said the task force plans to prepare maps of day hike segments to be ready for the public in time for the formal trail opening.

National Trails Day is June 2, but the ceremony may be held on another date to avoid a conflict with the annual Gap2Gap race.

Gamlem said the importance of the trail goes beyond Douglas, who was an avid hiker and champion of the outdoors. The trail passes through a national wilderness named for him.

The same area was also important to Central Washington pioneers and the tribes of the Yakama Nation.

Gamlen said a variety of signs and kiosks along the way will help residents and visitors learn about the significance of the route.

"We are going to get people to know about it by using the most usable pieces of it," he said.

* Mark Morey can be reached at 509-577-7671 or mmorey@yakimaherald.com.