Wild Weather and Great Progress on the Winfield Trail! Our October 25 work party started out with a bit of chaos then turned into a wild, windy adventure! An early morning car crash on Fruitdale Road knocked out two transformers, leaving much of Sedro-Woolley and Burlington without power. With traffic lights dark and uncertainty inContinue reading “Trail Update: A wildly windy work party!”
Tag Archives: Northern State Recreation Area
Trail Update: Our work party plan for Oct 25, 2025
8:45 am: Sign-in at the trailhead Please note the new parking area for volunteers is located on the gravel road behind Trevennen Hall. Directions can be found here. 9:00 am: Introductions, explain today’s work, assign teams, safety talk and group photo 9:45-noon: Work on Winfield Trail noon: Lunch at the trailhead & advisory committee meetingContinue reading “Trail Update: Our work party plan for Oct 25, 2025”
Trail Update: Growing the Northern State Trail System in 2025-2026
Trail Project Update – Phase 1 We’re excited to share the first steps in creating new trails at the SWIFT campus! Thanks to the dedicated work of the Port of Skagit and the City of Sedro-Woolley, we’ve received approval to start building Phase 1 of the planned trails. This fall, volunteers from Skagit Trail BuildersContinue reading “Trail Update: Growing the Northern State Trail System in 2025-2026”
Wind Phone On North Knoll Trail
In partnership with United General District 304’s grief support program Rooted: Grieving & Growing Together and Skagit Parks and Recreation, Skagit Trail Builders is supporting the installment of a Wind Phone on Hill Creek Trail.
Community Support at the Song Sparrow Bridge Ribbon Cutting
We are proud to be part of an amazing community that recognizes the health benefits of parks and trails and wholeheartedly supports outdoor recreation! On September 19, we celebrated the completion of our work at Northern State Recreation Area with an open house at the Port of Skagit SWIFT Center and a Ribbon Cutting CeremonyContinue reading “Community Support at the Song Sparrow Bridge Ribbon Cutting”
2025: Putting the Final Touches on Hill Creek Trail, Pumphouse Trail, and Elk Trail
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 smallContinue reading “2025: Putting the Final Touches on Hill Creek Trail, Pumphouse Trail, and Elk Trail”
2024-2025: Song Sparrow Bridge and the Connector Trail
The site for Song Sparrow Bridge was identified for a trail crossing during the planning phase in 2018. We were thrilled when permitting was granted in 2024! Note: At that time, it was referred to as both “North Bridge” and “Hill Creek Bridge.” It was renamed by the Parks Department in 2025. Master Trail BuilderContinue reading “2024-2025: Song Sparrow Bridge and the Connector Trail”
2023-2025: Developing North Knoll Trail and the West Meadow Loop
North Knoll Trail is a 3/4 mile section that extends from the Song Sparrow Connector, past the North Knoll, to the wild flower meadow. It follows Hansen Creek’s east bank through mature cedar forest, passing pools of bright blooming skunk cabbage, salmon berry patches, and hanging gardens of moss and licorice fern. Rough-in work onContinue reading “2023-2025: Developing North Knoll Trail and the West Meadow Loop”
2022-2023: Building the Elevated Segment of the Pumphouse Trail
When the Pumphouse Bridge was complete, we celebrated! Now we could cross the creek with power carriers and materials to build the first section of the Pumphouse Trail. When we explored the trail routing in 2019, Hansen Creek had recently flooded, covering the lower meadow with heavy clay mud. Because it was such a beautifulContinue reading “2022-2023: Building the Elevated Segment of the Pumphouse Trail”
2021-2022: Building the Pumphouse Bridge
Work on the Pumphouse Bridge began in the fall of 2021. When the overwater work was put on pause during the salmon run from November to March, our volunteer crew concentrated on building the switchback trail. Working with our backs to the water, every time we heard a splash💦splash💦splash💦, we would turn to watch aContinue reading “2021-2022: Building the Pumphouse Bridge”
