OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Planning the possible redevelopment of the Spruce Railroad Trail around Lake Crescent is in the early stages.
Olympic National Park representatives presented six alternatives — one a no-action alternative — for the width and material of the trail Monday night as part of a preliminary effort to decide what to do with the trail.
“When we say preliminary, we mean preliminary,” said Teri Tucker, park planning and environmental compliance coordinator, who gave the bulk of the hourlong presentation to about 70 people who showed up to hear the plan at the Port Angeles Senior Center.
“Each of these alternatives will have to be reviewed to see if they meet the purpose and need of a multiuse, nonmotorized, accessible trail,” Tucker added.
The work would be on two segments of the Olympic Discovery Trail, along the north shore of Lake Crescent and near Sol Duc Road, along the general route of the Spruce Railroad grade.
The proposed new trail segments are all within Olympic National Park.
About six miles of the Olympic Discovery Trail within the park are now under construction by Clallam County.
This segment parallels Camp David Junior Road on the north shore of Lake Crescent and is scheduled for completion later this year.
After the National Park Service approves the environmental review and the county builds out the trail, the park will manage the segments within its boundary.
The trail on the gentle railroad grade must comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The first alternative is to maintain the current trail that is already there.
Wheelchair-accessible
Alternative two is to do the minimum development needed to make the trail accessible for wheelchairs.
That would include a 36-inch-wide trail on a firm surface — such as compacted gravel — with a 5-foot passing area every 1,000 feet, Tucker said.
Alternative three would have the same measurements and passing zones, but the surface would be pavement.
It would include a 3-foot-wide area of compacted gravel to the side of the path as a passing zone and for horses.
Alternative four would include using the existing railroad grade as much as possible.
“It would retain as much historical character as possible,” Tucker said.
The path would be a 6-foot-wide hardened surface at the railroad grade with 2 feet of shoulder on either side.
Alternative five is the proposal set forth by Clallam County.
Trail tunnels
The county received a grant of about $1 million to restore the tunnels on the trail and make other upgrades to the trail.
The tunnels are not included in any of the alternatives because an engineer is assessing whether they can be safely restored and reopened to public use, Tucker said.
The proposal would include an 8-foot-wide trail with a 6-inch gravel shoulder, and the trail would be restored to the historical railroad grade.
Alternative six would include a 10-foot-wide trail on a hard surface with 2-foot-wide shoulders.
“This one is the most developed in terms of width and surfacing,” Tucker said.
All of the alternatives are under review and likely will be changed before any decision is made.
The park is developing an environmental assessment that will determine how developing the trail might affect the ecosystem of Lake Crescent.
The assessment is expected to be released later this year.
Because the trail hugs the edge of the lake and the tunnels have not been maintained and possibly blasted in the past, no determination can be made on the tunnels until after an engineer evaluates them, Tucker said.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
