Seventeen years ago a group of community members had a vision. On Saturday, May 11 that vision moved forward with the opening of a new trail in Cedar Creek Park, a park located between Covington and Maple Valley which connects the two communities via a future connector trail. The trail is a testament of community involvement and stewardship in action.
Over 60 people came to honor the past and look to the future. A bench was dedicated in honor of former Maple Valley city council member Gary Patrick who played an important role in conserving the park. The bench will serve as a resting spot beneath a giant Cedar tree.
People were excited about the new 1.5 miles of new trail where visitors can wander through a towering forest. The trail winds through 80 to 100-year-old Cedar, Douglas Fir, and Hemlock trees and teaches us about what our forests used to look like.
The Friends of Cedar Creek Park in cooperation with King County Parks, and Middle Green River Coalition is looking for people who visit or live around the park that are interested in being part of the vision to develop a long term plan for the park and be a part of it’s stewardship.
One of the highlights of seeing the new trail become a reality was watching 66 Tahoma High Outdoor Academy students enthusiastically clearing trail. Many of the students said they felt a connection with the park because they lived close by and because they helped build the trail. Most of those kids were not even born when I started work started to preserve the area.
If you are interested please visit our website at: friendsofcedarcreekpark.org.
A special thanks to REI, King County Parks, Washington Trails Coalition, Tahoma Highschool Outdoor Academy, Ian Johnson and his Eagle Scout crew, Institute for Community Leadership, Maple Valley Parks Commissioner, Pat Weiler, Black Diamond Trails Coalition, and the Cedar Downs Homeowners Association.
