Washington Foothills Trail-Orting, WA (south of Seattle) hike recommended by John from Washington - John recommends starting the hike in Orting where the trail goes through their park in the center of town - part of the rail-trails system - "The trail passes through pristine wilderness and historic communities, following the Old Northern Pacific railroad grade that once brought settlers and supplies into the west." - about 15 miles of wide, paved trail with two foot wide gravel strips on both sides for horses - accessible restrooms along trail - more info available at www.piercecountytrails.org - note: the Rainier to Ruston Rail-Trail Relay and Ultra has a challenged athlete division; for more info see www.rainiertoruston.com (a celebration of National Trails Day, first Saturday of June each year)

_____________________________________________________________________________   Olympic Discovery Trail - Port Townsend, WA hike recommended by Jeff from Washington - trailhead in Port Townsend is at the beach by the Boat Haven; turn right at the light by the Safeway, go through the boatyard to the water for parking and restrooms - part of the rail-trails system - stretches westerly from Port Townsend across Northern Olympic Peninsula through Sequim and Port Angeles - when complete, the trail will stretch for 150 miles to La Push on the Pacific coast. - "There are over 30 miles of completed trail, mostly paved; some hard-packed fine gravel. The grade is very slight, running through some of the most beautiful scenic regions of the peninsula." - more information at www.peninsulatrailcoalition.com

_______________________________________ Gold Creek Pond Trail #1250- Snoqualmie Pass thank you to Jon from Washington for this recommendation and photos directions: "Hyak exit #54 off I-90.  Go north and turn right on Forest Service Road #4832 that parallels the north side of the freeway.  Drive 1.0 mile, turn left on Gold Creek Road #142 and turn left in 0.3 mile into the Gold Creek Pond parking lot." - "You'll basically have the entire paved mile long trail to yourself." - "Negligible elevation gain around the pond surrounded by mountain peaks and forest." - "Restroom is usually clean and accessible and there are picnic tables and standing bbq pits to relax and enjoy." _ "one of my favorite day getaways in the area" - ADA accessible trail

_______________________________________ to see additional Washington trails, go to the "Washington Page 2" tab below