Ernie Bay calls the newest stretch of the Foothills Trail “the island in the sky.”

John Ernest Berry III doesn’t know what to call it. He can’t get to it.

There’s no easy public access to the paved path running from South Prairie almost to Buckley.

Berry, 45, is a member of the Foothills Rails to Trails Coalition Courtesy Patrol, and a frequent trail presence on his recumbent bike. He walks with difficulty. Decades ago he suffered disabling injuries when he was hit by a car while cycling. Now he’s the trail spokesman for wearing a helmet.

The uphill scramble onto the trail from an unmarked spot off Burnett Road is out of the question for him, or most anyone else with a bike. The easy access where the trail ends at Upper Burnett Road is a no-go, too. There’s no formal trailhead there, and the owners of the adjacent property have posted “no parking” signs.

You can’t argue with that. Who would be happy with strangers parking on their property?

The owners graciously allowed trail work crews to park there, Bay said, but have balked at letting their land be used as trailhead parking. Pierce County Parks and Recreation purchased other land for parking. Why should these people give it for free?

This is an issue that needs a quick solution. Trail fans, walkers, bikers and equestrians are telling their friends about the newest paved stretch. If people don’t park in the posted area, they’ll trespass onto another spot, possibly create a traffic hazard and irk another land-owner.

The history of the trail is one of turning opponents, including adjacent landowners, into fans. The City of Orting, for example, fought the trail at first. Now it has melded it into the seal of the city.

It’s nice to have a happy ending, but it’s better to avoid drama altogether.

Besides, the island in the sky is too serene a stretch to be burdened with conflict.

I found the South Prairie entrance to it only because Bay invited me to walk it with him. We parked in an unmarked turn-off, clambered over a gate, down a brambled path and up a steep dirt trail.

Voila! Asphalt to our left, undeveloped land to our right.

We stopped on a high bridge to look into a salmon-bearing stream. No pinks.

The gentle grade rose above wide, open wetlands. Ducks broke out of their paddle and flew to a more remote spot. There are beavers in there, Bay said.

“Isn’t it a splendid view?” he asked.

There’s a curious feeling of height to the trail. That’s because it’s a berm.

When trains first ran along the route, Bay said, it was over high wooden trestles. The railroad preferred berms, so it made them. Crews would load trains with ballast rock, then dump it when the trains rolled over the trestles. Eventually, they brought the rail bed up to track level.

A dog had left muddy paw prints on the berm’s new surface, and a horse had left something more substantial.

Grant Griffin, trails coordinator with Pierce County Parks, says bears use the path, too.

They, however, don’t have a parking problem where the trail lets out onto a cul de sac of mini-farms.

Pierce County Parks had the money and plans for the trail section before the economy rotted. It is still applying for grants to mitigate a wetland, buy the land connecting the trail at South Prairie, and complete the route to Buckley, said Janel Krilich, parks’ superintendent of administrative services.

If there’s no money to buy parking space at the easily accessible end, it’s time to talk with the neighbors about an alternate plan.

Someone may be willing to lease a suitable chunk of property. There may be nearby public right of way to convert into off-street parking. There may be a better idea out there.

Now’s the time to settle on it, before drama breaks out and tow companies show up.

Besides, John Ernest Berry III wants to bike that spectacular mile.

Kathleen Merryman: 253-597-8677

kathleen.merryman@thenewstribune.com