John Wayne Pioneer Trail

The John Wayne Pioneer Trail follows the former roadbed of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad for convert|300|mi across two-thirds of Washington from the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains to the Idaho border. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad right-of-way was acquired by Washington state 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 rail usage in the future. The convert|100|mi|adj=on portion from Cedar Falls (near North Bend) to the Columbia River just south of Vantage has been developed and is managed as the Iron Horse State Park. [http://www.parks.wa.gov/trails.asp Long-Distance Trails of the Washington State Parks System] ] Brochure: 'Your Guide to the John Wayne Pioneer Trail - Iron Horse State Park'; Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission; undated (copy distributed at trail heads in 2008) ]

The trail continues through undeveloped sections of the park in eastern Washington. From the trailhead south of Vantage, it proceeds along Crab Creek and eastward. It intersects the Columbia Plateau Trail between Lamont and Benge, and continues to Tekoa near the Idaho border.

Access Points

Iron Horse Park Access

Access points to the developed portion of the trail, managed by Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, are at:
* Cedar Falls - western terminus
* Twin Falls
* Hyak - provides access the 2.3- mile long Snoqualmie Tunnel through the crest of the Cascade Mountains
* Easton - descending the eastern slope of the Cascades
* Cle Elum - provides access to the Upper Yakima River Canyon
* Thorp - near the historic Thorp Mill
* Thorp, 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

Undeveloped Sections Access

Access points to the undeveloped portion of the trail, managed by Washington State Department of Natural Resources, have not been formally opened to the public. However the trail provides access to the unique geological erosion features of the Channeled Scablands regions of Washington state, and several streteches have been recognized as providing access to this area created by the cataclysmic Missoula Floods that swept periodically across eastern Washington and down the Columbia River Plateau during the Pleistocene epoch.

External links

* [http://www.trailkeeper.com/trails/view.aspx?id=XBSE33PDB9 John Wayne Pioneer Trail Hiking Information]

References