Author Archives: Skagit Trail Builders

Trail Partners Present at the Washington State Trails Conference

On Saturday, Oct 5, partners from Skagit County Parks and Recreation, United General Hospital, and Skagit Trail Builders came together to present at the Washington State Trails Conference in Wenatchee, WA. Titled “A Repurposing Project with Purpose”, partners shared the story of how Northern Recreation Area has been transformed from an abandoned mental hospital andContinue reading “Trail Partners Present at the Washington State Trails Conference”

Trail Updates: Borrow Pit to Trail Surface

We enjoyed a most excellent volunteer work party on September 28! We worked on the connector trail for North Bridge, near the Big Rock, mining soil to create a smooth, level, sustainable trail surface. Using native soil has lots of benefits:1. Looks natural2. Low cost (we don’t have to buy it!)3. More convenient (we don’tContinue reading “Trail Updates: Borrow Pit to Trail Surface”

Trail Update: Our plan for the Sept 28 work party

At our last work party, we enjoyed putting some finishing touches on the Bonus Loop. While there is still more work to do there, we are going to switch gears and move to the other end of Hill Creek Trail near the Big Rock. Last year we created an impressive borrow pit harvesting native soilContinue reading “Trail Update: Our plan for the Sept 28 work party”

Trail Update: We Built a Wildflower Garden

We had a great day on Sept 14 with lots of fun chat and laughs while we worked on the Bonus Loop. One team worked on capping the trail with mineral soil. Another worked on removing briars that were encroaching the path. A third team focused on clearing blackberries and creating a welcoming entrance toContinue reading “Trail Update: We Built a Wildflower Garden”

Trail Update: Sept 14 Work Party at Hill Creek Trail

We are looking forward to welcoming our volunteers back on Sept 14! Our plan is to put the finishing touches on Hill Creek Trail and the bonus loop. We will build up the trail tread using mineral soil and concentrate on trail side restoration: We are also happy to share that two of our YouthContinue reading “Trail Update: Sept 14 Work Party at Hill Creek Trail”

Getting ready for a new build season with a new poster

We are looking forward to gathering with our trail community on Sept 14 for our first work party of the 2024-2025 build season! There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes this summer to prep for fall work parties – creating a 2018-2024 project report, drafting our 2024-2025 plan, ordering new tools, calculating materials,Continue reading “Getting ready for a new build season with a new poster”

A Mid-Summer Trail & Bridge Update: July 31 2024

We’ve been getting a lot of questions from our community about North Bridge construction. Here’s the latest from Skagit County Parks and Rec: We are looking forward to the next progress update from the county and will inform our volunteer community as soon as we know more! In the meantime, we are planning for ourContinue reading “A Mid-Summer Trail & Bridge Update: July 31 2024”

Bridge Update: June 28 2024

In 2023, Skagit County approved a proposal to build a pedestrian footbridge that would connect the north end of the Pump House Trail to Hill Creek Trail. The responsibility for the bridge project lies with the County and their contractor, Art Tuftee. The county has purchased steel beams and other materials required for the bridgeContinue reading “Bridge Update: June 28 2024”

Trail Update: Thanks for a great build year!

We concluded our build year for 2023-2024 on a beautiful day, working with amazing people. The Trail! Thanks to incredible support from our community, Hill Creek Trail is now ready for summer hikes, cycling, and exploration! The trail stretches a little over 2 miles, following Hill Creek from the Pump House Bridge all the wayContinue reading “Trail Update: Thanks for a great build year!”