Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail


The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, formerly known as the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, is a rail trail that spans most of the U.S. state of Washington. It follows the former railway roadbed of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad for across two-thirds of the state, from the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains to the Idaho border.
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 trail was originally named the John Wayne Pioneer Trail in honor of the John Wayne Pioneer Wagons and Riders Association for their assistance in creating the trail. The portion from Cedar Falls to the Columbia River south of Vantage has been developed and is managed as the Iron Horse State Park. In 2002, it was designated a National Recreation Trail. In 2018, the trail was renamed to the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

History

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 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.
In April 2018, Washington State Parks proposed renaming the trail and Iron Horse State Park to resolve confusion. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission adopted a new name, the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, in May.

Trail Features

Iron Horse Park Access

Access points to the developed portion of the trail, managed by Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, are at:
The trail features six tunnels, including the longest trail tunnel in the world, the Snoqualmie Tunnel, which was #50 on the railroad's numbering system. The other five tunnels in order are the Boylston, Thorp, Picnic Area, Easton and Whittier. The Boylston Tunnel was also known as the Johnson Creek tunnel to the railroad and sometimes tunnels #46 and #47 are known as the Thorp Tunnels.

Undeveloped

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 the state of Washington, and several stretches 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. At Malden, once home to the largest railroad turntable in the world, Washington State Parks is planning a trailhead in the former rail yard.