BREAKING NEWS: Sumner Receives State Wildlife Grant for ‘Missing Link’ Trail

In the near future, citizens will be able to hike from Seattle to Mt. Rainier and stop in Sumner on the way.

On Thurs., June 23, Pierce County announced the final list of projects funded through the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP), which included $979,000 in funding to complete Sumner’s Urban to Mountain Trail.

“It’s wonderful to get this funding, especially in such a tough year for the state. These trails are important to help people commute without using gas, to improve their health and to enjoy accessible recreation with family and friends," said Sumner mayor Dave Enslow from the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Conference in Spokane. "Everyone has asked us to finish our trails including senior citizens, kids, neighboring cities, and even regional employers. Now that we have funding for this section, we’ll make another critical piece of the trail happen.”

The Urban to Mountain Trail will help build the 38-mile missing link, from Seattle’s Interurban Trail to the local Foothills Trail.

The estimated $2.2 million project would connect 2,000 feet of trail along the White River near Sumner Meadows Golf Course. The multi-use, asphalt trail would include enough room for walkers and bikers and would connect the regional trail gap where the Interurban Trail ends and Foothills Trail begins.

You can read the story behind the proposal .

The Sumner Urban to Mountain Trail was one of eight priority projects for WWRP in the next year. The decision to approve the grant was announced at a June 22 hearing in Olympia.

Other approved projects include development at Chambers Creek properties in University Place and plans to protect Fox Island shoreline off the Key Peninsula. Legislatures selected the projects during the 2011 session based on their vitality to environmental preservation throughout the state.