On Thurs, Feb 23, after 77 days and more than 4,600 volunteer hours of work over the course of 17 months, volunteers from Washington Trails Association put the last spike into the 600-foot-long boardwalk across the north hemlock bog in Grand Ridge Park. For 10 years, WTA volunteers have been building and improving Grand Ridge’s 9.5 miles of trails, including a 40-foot long footbridge near the north end of the main trail that was finished in 2010. The newly completed boardwalk is the trail’s final link, connecting Grand Ridge with Duthie Hill and creating one the best year-round trail experiences in the area. See our Flickr album of WTA’s recent handiwork in Grand Ridge.

Grand Ridge Park is a 1,200 acre park featuring lush groves of western red cedars and rises 1,100 feet in elevation above Issaquah along I-90. With the Issaquah to High Point Trail extending the length of the southern edge of the park, Grand Ridge is also a favorite spot for trail runners.

King County Parks has had a long partnership with WTA, whose volunteers provide around 10,000 hours of service on backcountry trail projects in our parks every year. Been to Cougar, Taylor Mountain, or Spring Lake/Lake Desire lately? Then you should thank a WTA volunteer for helping King County Parks build and repair our 180-mile backcountry trails network. Better yet, sign up to volunteer at a trail event and pat yourself on the back!

Photo courtesy of WTA.