While we completed work at Song Sparrow Bridge in the spring of 2025, we also put the final touches on the Northern State Trail System.

With excellent weather and record-setting turnouts, our dedicated volunteer crews tended to the details that make this trail a peaceful escape into nature.

We held several “special sessions” with small crews of just 4-5 volunteers. Together, we cleared downed trees from a winter storm, decommissioned the large borrow pit near the North Knoll, elevated sections of the North Knoll Trail above the high water mark, and installed a much-needed culvert in a low, muddy spot on the Pumphouse Trail.

On the connector trail to Song Sparrow Bridge, our larger volunteer crews decommissioned the equipment access trail, transplanting over 50 ferns that had been uprooted during trail construction. They removed invasive holly and naturalized the area up to the trail’s edge, creating the appearance that this new trail has always been there.

At the Pumphouse Bridge, we repaired damage caused by vandals. In addition, we improved the switchback trail by widening the turn, making it easier for bicycles, jog strollers, and maintenance equipment to navigate.

The temporary access trail was decommissioned and planted with ferns, as were the rock wall terraces. One of our Youth Leaders recruited her friends to help clean out the historic Pumphouse, removing years of refuse.

On the Pumphouse Trail, we built three bench sites where visitors can rest and enjoy views of Hansen Creek, Hill Creek Meadow, and the Beaver Pond (the benches were built and installed by the Port of Skagit).

We also applied a final layer of rock sand capping across the elevated trail all the way to the Pumphouse Trailhead.

We were joined by stewardship volunteers from the Seattle Mountaineers, who focused on vegetation management. They removed invasive blackberries, trimmed low-hanging branches, cleared plant debris, and reclaimed trail width along all the trails: Pumphouse, North Knoll, West Meadow Loop, and Hill Creek Trail.

Improvements were also made at the Pumphouse Trailhead and Elk Trailhead. On the Elk Trail, we installed grade reversals to manage water flow and mud during the rainy season.

At the Pumphouse Trailhead, we connected the kiosk to the maintenance road with a “Y” to accommodate users approaching from the north and south.

We finished our work and completed the 2024-2025 build year on June 28, 2025, celebrating with a Trailhead BBQ!

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Our work on property managed by the Parks Department concludes on September 13. On September 27, we will break ground on a new trail project for the Port of Skagit SWIFT Center. We are excited to further expand the Northern State Trail System.

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