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Foothills Trail
King County Parks recently opened a new steel bridge that crosses the White River to connect King County and Pierce County communities with 22 miles of uninterrupted paved trail.
The 572-foot-long weathered steel bridge – funded primarily by the King County Parks Levy – completes Foothills Trail, connecting 280,000 residents, schools, business districts, and civic centers while offering scenic views of Mount Rainier. The trail runs along the Carbon River, passing through farmland and forestland.
In addition to connecting King County and Pierce County cities – Enumclaw, Buckley, South Prairie, Orting, and Puyallup – the new trail bridge offers an alternative emergency route for pedestrians and vehicles if State Route 410 across the White River is damaged during a catastrophic event.
For more history on the project and benefits, read this informational handout.
Trail history
The Missing Link
The White River separates the completed portions of the Foothills Trail in Enumclaw and Buckley. These local governments, along with King and Pierce County Parks, are working together under an inter-local agreement to construct a new pedestrian/multi-use bridge and one mile of trail to complete this vital community amenity. Funding for the preliminary design of the entire corridor and construction of the North Segment was proposed as part of the 2014-2019 King County Parks, Trails, and Open Space Replacement Levy. Construction of the current segment is funded in part by the 2020-2025 Parks, Recreation, Trails and Open Space Levy.
Historic Transportation Route
The trail alignment diverges from the former BNSF railroad grade to follow the old Highway 410 alignment across the historic Boise Creek Bridge and will utilize three (3) abandoned highway piers across the White River to support the new pedestrian bridge connection to Pierce County. This alignment was decommissioned in 1949 for the modern-day bridge and Highway 410 alignment just downstream over the White River.
Why is King County developing the Foothills Trail?
The Foothills Trail is part of a larger vision of mobility and access to all residents of King County. Not only does our Leafline Trails Network in King County provide a connection between locations, it also connects people to healthy living, recreational opportunities, mental health, stress reduction, and much, much more.
South King County is an area that is historically underserved. In line with the King County Strategic Plan, trails in south King County are being prioritized to give those neighbors more access to recreational opportunities.
Economic Development and Tourism
The connection of the Foothills Trail system in Pierce and King counties will help stimulate economic development in the cities of Enumclaw and Buckley as additional trail users visit both cities and spur business development adjacent to the trail.
Health and Safety
Completing the new bridge and trail system will provide an alternative emergency route for pedestrians and vehicles in the event the SR 410 bridge at Buckley becomes impassable during a catastrophic event. Without an alternative crossing, access to the nearest hospital (currently located in Enumclaw) for citizens in the Buckley area could take up to thirty minutes or longer during an emergency. For life-threatening injuries, including those associated with residents of the Rainier School for the developmentally disabled, this presents a critical life-safety issue that this project can successfully mitigate.
Sense of Community
The trail connection will provide an important community link between the Enumclaw and Buckley area communities by providing a safe, separated, non-motorized transportation corridor for walkers and cyclists that currently isn’t available using the existing SR 410 bridge.
