For those who enjoy running or mountain biking in the area there will soon be a new trail system at the top of Henry’s Ridge near Ravensdale.

Located between Southeast Kent Kangley Road and Ravensdale Lake, the trail is presently under construction by local volunteers and King County Parks staff. The trail system will be open to both runners and mountain bikers. The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance is the main organization behind its development. According to the Alliance’s web site, the property is owned by King County Natural Resources and managed by King County Parks and Recreation.

Rick Heinz, who has lived on Henry’s Ridge for the past five years, didn’t discover the trails until two years ago, mostly unmaintained and built outside of the King County Parks and Trails. Now, he uses them to jog or bike.

“I just stumbled across them,” he said.

When the trail is finished, it’s expected to have 11 miles of terrain to run or bike through. It will also connect with natural and King County trails, which run down to Black Diamond, where there are numerous mountain bike trails along state Route 169.

The relatively unknown existence of these trails is due to several reasons. A sizable portion of them were “unofficially” built by “rogue trail builders,” people who created them on public property without authorization from the county.

Todd Petrie, who now serves as an ambassador for the King County Parks, used to be a rogue trail builder until several months ago, when he was offered the position. He first started building trails near Lake Sawyer in 2000. Although the trails he built were done well, he was forced to work in secret.

“When you think about it, you’re vandalizing public land,” he said.

But, Petrie also felt like “they’re doing a good job because no one is complaining.”

Like Heinz, Petrie said the trails are one of the area’s best kept secrets.

Since the trails are not done officially, they are not listed among the King County Trail system, albeit they are marked on maps as “unmaintained.”

When he tells people about the trails, Petrie says he gets two responses.

“One, a lot of people don’t even have a concept of what’s in their background,” he said. “The others greatly appreciate it, once they realize what’s out there. They really really appreciate it. (I get) a lot of thank yous.”

Contrary to its natural appearance, the completion of a trail requires extensive preparation and a keen eye for strategy, especially when designing mountain bike trails.

Ralph Loewen, one of the trail builders, explained everything from the topography to the condition of the soil must be taken into account before the initial space is flagged.

“You want to avoid bushes, vines and wet areas, which are difficult to maintain,” he explained.

Proper irrigation is also essential to prevent soil corrosion and damage due to removal of plant life. Culvert pipes are installed to help drain water. Any bridges are made of metal or plastic, because wood bridges tend to deteriorate much faster.

To help them make an effective assessment, trail builders choose to survey the area during the rainiest part of the year. This way, they can select sections with sufficient elevation or proper protection to avoid flooding.

Construction on Henry’s Ridge was halted for several months in the spring while a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was worked out between the King County Parks and the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance. The MOU was signed only a few weeks ago and construction is expected to resume shortly.

The county has acted as a supervisor to ensure the trails are built according to its standards, while the trail’s construction is left mostly to those who intend to use the trails.

“The importance of having authorized, well designed and well built trails on the King County property is needed more than ever,” said Glenn Glover, executive director of Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance.

To learn more about running or biking the trails around Henry’s Ridge, contact Heinz at Rick.TrailGuy.Heinz@gmail.com or log on to the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance’s website at evergreenmtb.org. You can also contact them if you are interested in participating in the work parties for the trail construction.

Information about Henry’s Ridge can be found at http://evergreenmtb.org/wiki/index.php?title=Trail:Henrys_Ridge