Located just a latte away from Seattle, the mountain communities of Ronald, Roslyn and Cle Elum are experiencing a steadily growing stream of visitors seeking connection with the outdoors. Recreational tourism generates $185 million annually within Kittitas County, supporting approximately 1,700 local jobs. As these numbers grow, so does the need for a world-class, well-designed trail system that can absorb user impacts, direct visitors away from wildlife habitat and sensitive areas, keep ongoing maintenance costs low, and connect the downtown centers with nearby public lands.

Towns to Teanaway envisions a world class network of nonmotorized trails connecting the communities of Ronald, Roslyn and Cle Elum to the Teanaway Community Forest, while also tying together regional trail systems like the Coal Mines Trail, Rat Pack Trail, and Palouse to Cascade trails.

Thanks to broad community support and engagement, a master plan for this system was funded and completed in 2018. It lays out a conceptual design for a public, non-motorized, multiple-use trail system that meets the following goals:

• Build in stacked loops that meet a variety of user abilities, with accessible trails and trailheads
• Prioritize relatively easy routes from each community to the Cle Elum Ridge
• Preserve wildlife corridors and enhance habitat
• Develop partnerships with private landowners
• Ensure non-motorized and snowmobile trails adhere to standard policies of public and private land owners
• Ensure new trails are sustainable and low maintenance
• Decommission or reroute trails that do not meet these criteria or standards
• Engage volunteers to construct and maintain trails
• Minimize impacts to the community, while driving the local outdoor recreation economy

The Kittitas County Parks and Recreation District (that's us!) is implementing the plan as we speak. We anticipate all 62 miles will take 5-10 years to complete, using a mix of public, private, and grant funding. Funds raised through this Kind campaign will go directly to construction costs, including:

• Trail flagging (labor, GPS data, trail inclusion in regional map systems)
• Excavation (equipment, fuel, labor)
• Signage (design, production, installation)

Thank you for sharing your love of public lands and recreation with our project! If you are interested in contributing in other ways, ie volunteering or hosting an event to benefit the trails, please contact Nicky Pasi, Implementation Group Facilitator, at nicky.pasi@mtsgreenway.org.