John Wayne Pioneer Trail - Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, USA
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member oiseau_ca
N 47° 23.686 W 121° 23.778
10T E 621019 N 5250281
a trail following the former railway roadbed of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road)located in Washington, USA
Waymark Code: WMRQEZ
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 07/24/2016
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member MountainWoods
Views: 34
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The coordinates will bring you to the Snoqualmie Tunnel, an abandoned railroad tunnel at Snoqualmie Pass at the border of King County and Kittitas County in Washington State.

As of today, the tunnel serves as part of a rail trail in Iron Horse State Park. The trail is called the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, but sometimes also called the Iron Horse Trail.

According to Wikipedia, "The John Wayne Pioneer Trail follows the former railway roadbed of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road ) for 300 miles (480 km) across two-thirds of Washington from the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains to the Idaho border. The trail is named in honor of the John Wayne Pioneer Wagons and Riders Association for their assistance in creating the trail. In 2002, it was designated a National Recreation Trail.

The former Milwaukee Road roadbed was acquired by the state of Washington via a quitclaim deed, and is used as a non-motorized recreational trail managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. State legislation "railbanked" the corridor with provisions that allow for the reversion to railroad usage in the future.

The 100-mile (160 km) portion from Cedar Falls (near North Bend) to the Columbia River south of Vantage has been developed and is managed as the Iron Horse State Park.

In 2015, two Washington state representatives from the 9th district attempted to include language in an amendment to the state's 2015 capital budget that would close a 130-mile-long (210 km) section of the trail east of the Columbia River. It was later revealed that a typo, referring to the closed section as “from the Columbia River to the Columbia River”, nullified the amendment temporarily.

Access points to the developed portion of the trail, managed by Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, are at:

Rattlesnake Lake, Cedar Falls – western terminus and connection to the Snoqualmie Valley Regional Trail
Twin Falls
Hyak – provides access to the 2.3-mile long Snoqualmie Tunnel through the crest of the Cascade Mountains. In winter this site provides a public sledding area and ski trails groomed for track and skate style cross country skiing from Hyak eastward. Washington DOT Sno-pass parking is required at this site in winter. Within walking/snowing/skiing distance is a state parks owned lodge.
Easton – descending the eastern slope of the Cascades
Cle Elum – provides access to the Upper Yakima River Canyon
Thorp – near the historic Thorp Mill
Kittitas, Washington – in the open farm valley of the Yakima River drainage east of Ellensburg, Washington
Army West – at the western edge of the stretch passing through the shrub-steppe country of the U.S. Army's Yakima Training Center
Army East – at the eastern edge of the stretch passing through the shrub-steppe country of the U.S. Army's Yakima Training Center as it reaches the Columbia River".

Source: Wikipedia
Wikipedia Url: [Web Link]
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Cachewürmer visited John Wayne Pioneer Trail - Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, USA 07/16/2023 Cachewürmer visited it
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