Last week, Evergreen’s John Lang and Justin Vander Pol met with Washington State Parks and Mountain to Sound Greenway (MTSG) to begin work on the design of the Olallie Mountain Bike Trail. Based on a feasibility study completed in September, the finished trail would consist of approximately 8.6 miles of single track, including 4 miles of new trail and 4.6 miles of road-to-trail conversation. The trail will be constructed to include easy (5% maximum sustained grade) and moderate (8%) sections, with shorter, more difficult sections (10%) requiring a little more fitness and/or suffering.

We are excited at this first important step and over the next two months Evergreen’s Art Tuftee and Mike Westra will work closely with WA State Parks and MTSG to finalize the design. Once the design is completed, much work will remain even before construction can begin. As a next step MTSG will work to secure environmental permits from Washington State and King County. In addition, Evergreen will work closely with State Parks to address funding needs for the project through state agencies and the legislature. And IF everything goes well, construction would begin next summer!

To be sure this process will not be quick or effortless, and there are plenty of obstacles in the way. It is also important to note that while the primary use for Olallie is mountain biking, Evergreen has worked closely with equestrian groups to ensure their access to these trails, in conjunction with our partnership to see the South Fork Snoqualmie project move ahead.

We are looking forward to working with State Parks and MTSG, as well as other stakeholders, to see this project to completion. More importantly, in the coming months (and years) we will need your sustained voice and your time up on the trail to highlight our strong commitment to Olallie. In particular, funding is tight right now and as we look to secure adequate funds for construction your voice to state agencies and the legislature will be invaluable. We will have a better sense for our funding needs in the coming months as we complete the design and project budget, and will update you on progress and ways you can be involved.

So in short, we have a lot of hard work in store. But you might agree that there is something worthwhile on the other side: Almost 9 miles of sweet singletrack within 25 minutes of Seattle and Bellevue, with the possibility that Olallie will simply be the gateway into a larger mountain bike network in the South Fork of Snoqualmie. Stay tuned.