We’ve heard this question a lot “What are you guys going to do about all those blackberries sprouting next to the trail?”
Skagit Trail Builders is volunteer trail building organization. Maintenance is carried out by Skagit County Parks and Recreation (SCPR) staff. This week we got word – they are increasing maintenance staff for summer and they plan to address the blackberries soon.
Left: Volunteers clearing a path through the blackberries to create Hill Creek Trail, Spring 2022.
Right: The same meadow in May 2023 . Skagit Trail Builders cleared a massive amount of blackberries and planted grass and wildflowers. Parks maintenance crews will manage vegetation and maintain the trail system.
Over the last few years SCPR has put a lot of effort into developing Northern State Recreation Area as a public park. They improved drainage, installed bathrooms, and built the ADA accessible Veterans Plaza on the east side of the property. They’ve also supported development of multi-use trails on the west side by supplying our volunteer team with funding, materials, and equipment.
We started our work in 2019 in partnership with Skagit County Parks and Recreation, the Port of Skagit, and the City of Sedro Woolley. The master plan includes connecting properties managed by these entities into a system of parking areas, walkways and trails open to the public.
Left: Our trail contractor clears the beginning of Brickyard Creek Trail at SWIFT Center. Middle: A volunteer clears blackberries next the the old guard house. Brickyard Creek Trail is across the road. Right: Volunteer enjoys the trail winding through the trees.
For example, Thompson Pond is owned by the city. We built the Brickyard Creek Trail that connects it to SWIFT Center (old Northern State Hospital). We built the Dovetail Bridge and improved the path that connects the SWIFT Campus to Northern State Recreation Area. From the bridge, trail users can walk north and access our newest trail projects – the Pump House Trail and Hill Creek Trail. See the complete timeline.
In 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic put our work on hold. When pandemic restrictions lifted, we re-engaged with our community of trail volunteers and got back to building trails. In 2022, we completed the Pump House Trail and Pump House Bridge.
Left to right: The Pump House Bridge in progress. We opened the bridge to foot traffic in June 2022. The bridge crosses Hill Creek and provides access to our latest project, the Hill Creek Trail loop.
This year we have completed nearly one mile of Hill Creek Trail. It starts at the Pump House Bridge. When finished it will be a little over 2 miles long and loop around a rock knoll (our crew calls it “The Big Rock”). We also hope to build another foot bridge to connect it to the north end of the Pump House Trail. See the map.
There are a lot of blackberries to clear on this project!
We are building trails to last. The parks department is fully committed to maintaining these trails after our work is done. The pandemic created many challenges for them and they are still in recovery phase. This year they hired a Operations and Land Manager and are formalizing a maintenance plan.
Summer maintenance crews start on June 14.
To see more photos and videos
Skagit Trail Builders 
You must be logged in to post a comment.