Some Vashon social media followers were recently treated to the news, complete with pictures, that the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust had built a loop at Shinglemill Trail. With respect to that, the Land Trust has both good news and bad news for island loop-trail fans: The good news is that there is, in fact, a loop being built at Shinglemill. The bad news is that it is not yet finished and isn’t expected to be ready for public use until sometime in October.
“This is part of the Land Trust’s ‘Five Trails in Five Years’ campaign,” Tom Dean, the Land Trust’s executive director said. “The Paradise Valley loop was number one, and this Shinglemill leg is number two.”
The project at Shinglemill will create a loop out of the lower half of the trail, Dean noted, using an entry point across from the Fern Cove entrance.
“Humans love loops,” Dean said. “Trail users really love them because they provide an opportunity to see different things coming and going.”
At its completion, this project will be dedicated to islander Bill Mitchell, a Land Trust board member who died last spring. Dean said that Mitchell was the first person on Vashon to allow a trail easement across his property, and the hope is that more will follow his example.
The new leg, designed by King County Parks’ David Kimmett and Land Trust land steward Abel Eckheardt, features large cedars and maples not typically seen on many other parts of the island because this property has never been clear cut, Dean explained. It is also topographically varied.
“There is some ridge at the highest point of the trail that looks out over a ravine,” he said. “In the winter when the leaves drop, the view will be wonderful.”
Included in the project is a grant application to King County Parks for parking and trail head improvements, that, if approved, will be a long-term, multi-phase endeavor.
“Parking as it currently exists there is not safe,” Dean said. “Trail users should use the shoulder along Cedarhurst instead. But this kind of work is very expensive so we need the grant for it.”
The official trail opening will include a ribbon cutting by Mitchell’s sister Winnie, but manpower, as well as weather factors, will affect when work on the latest loop will be complete.
“Summer is over, so we are down on volunteers,” Dean said. “If people want to get a look at the trail before it’s officially open, they could volunteer for a work party.”
Otherwise, the public is advised that if they do venture onto the project, they do so at their own risk and should stay out of the way of any work crews encountered.
The Shinglemill Trail is for foot traffic and leashed dogs only — bikes, horses and motorized vehicles are not permitted.
