WALLA WALLA, Wash. – More than 20 miles of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-managed trails meandering along Mill Creek’s south shoreline and around Bennington Lake were designated a National Recreation Trail System by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Director of the National Park Service Jonathan B. Jarvis today.
The newly designated Bennington Lake National Recreation Trail System was one of 54 trails granted National Recreation Trail status today, adding almost 1,400 total miles of trails to the National Trails System. A complete listing of newly added trails can be found in a Department of the Interior news release online www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/AMERICAS-GREAT-OUTDOORS-Salazar-Jarvis-Announce-Designation-of-54-New-National-Recreation-Trails.cfm.
With more than 250 miles of managed trails to explore in the Corps’ Walla Walla District, outdoor recreation enthusiasts can find plenty of places to celebrate National Trails Day on June 2, according to district recreation officials.
The American Hiking Society's National Trails Day® is held the first Saturday of every June. Walla Walla District officials encourage visitors to check out a Corps trail this weekend to help recognize the event, touted by organizers as “America's largest celebration of trails and the outdoors.”
The district also features about 200 miles of the Northwest Discovery Water Trail for boaters on the Snake and Columbia rivers.
Some of the more well-known trails at or near district recreation areas include:
|
Trail Name
|
Length (miles)
|
Management Office
(For multi-agency trails, office listed serves District-managed areas only)
|
Nearby City
|
|
Clearwater and Snake River National Recreation Trail
|
26
|
Lower Granite Natural Resources Management
|
Clarkston, Wash.
Lewiston, Idaho
|
|
Lyons Ferry Habitat Management Unit to Palouse Falls State Park
|
3.5
|
Lower Granite Natural Resources Management
|
Starbuck, Wash.
|
|
Bennington Lake National Recreation Trail System – total mileage
|
20+
|
Mill Creek Dam
and Bennington Lake
|
Walla Walla, Wash.
|
|
Kingfisher Trail
|
1.7
|
Mill Creek Dam
and Bennington Lake
|
Walla Walla, Wash.
|
|
Meadowlark Trail
|
2.6
|
Mill Creek Dam
and Bennington Lake
|
Walla Walla, Wash.
|
|
Whitetail Trail
|
4.8
|
Mill Creek Dam
and Bennington Lake
|
Walla Walla, Wash.
|
|
McNary Nature Area
|
5
|
McNary Natural Resources Management
|
Umatilla, Ore.
|
|
Umatilla County Lewis and Clark Commemorative Trail – Corps-lands portion is Warehouse Beach to McNary Beach - 7 miles
(5 miles of it on riverfront)
|
14
|
McNary Natural Resources Management
|
Umatilla, Ore.
|
|
Sacajawea Heritage Trail
|
23
|
Tri Cities Rivershore Enhancement Council (Managed by the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau)
|
Pasco, Kennewick, Richland, Wash.
|
|
Columbia Plateau Trail
|
|
Washington State Parks
|
Pasco, Wash.
|
|
Merrys Bay Trail
|
1.5
|
Dworshak Natural Resources Management
|
Orofino, Idaho
|
|
Big Eddy Trail
|
10
|
Dworshak Natural Resources Management
|
Orofino, Idaho
|
|
Cold Springs Trail
|
5.5
|
Dworshak Natural Resources Management
|
Orofino, Idaho
|
|
Dent Trail
|
1.8
|
Dworshak Natural Resources Management
|
Orofino, Idaho
|
|
Canyon Creek Trail
|
1.5
|
Dworshak Natural Resources Management
|
Orofino, Idaho
|
|
West Ridge Trail
|
1.75
|
Dworshak Natural Resources Management
|
Orofino, Idaho
|
|
Boise River Greenbelt Trail follows the shoreline of the river through town ending at Sandy Point Beach at the base of Lucky Peak Dam
|
25+
|
City of Boise Parks and Recreation.
Sandy Point Beach is under lease to Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation.
|
Boise, Idaho
|
|
Northwest Discovery Water Trail following the Lewis and Clark Trail along the Clearwater, Snake and Columbia rivers – Walla Walla District portion of the trail is 195 miles
|
367
|
Walla Walla District Natural Resources Management
|
Begins at Canoe Camp near Orofino, Idaho, and ends at Bonneville Dam near Cascade Locks, Ore.
|
For more information about hiking and other recreation opportunities in the Walla Walla District, check out www.nww.usace.army.mil/corpsoutdoors/. For information about National Trails Day events, visit www.americanhiking.org/.
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Release no. 12-51