New Pierce County hiking trail opens this weekend, with free guided nature walks
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- Pierce County opens 1.6-mile Pipeline Trail extension ending at Orangegate Park.
- Ribbon cutting includes local officials, followed by guided bird and nature walks.
- Trail project aims to connect Tacoma to Mt. Rainier via 21 miles of regional paths.
Pierce County Parks will unveil a new 1.6-mile extension of the Pipeline Trail on Saturday with family-friendly events from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Orangegate Park.
The trail now extends 5.8 miles from the Tacoma Dome into rural Pierce County, ending in Orangegate Park (8491 Pipeline Road E.), which has 80 acres of its own hiking and walking trails, the county said in a news release.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday will include speeches from Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello, Pierce County District 5 Councilmember Bryan Yambe, City of Tacoma District 4 Councilmember Sandesh Sadalge, Pierce County Parks director Travis Buell and ForeverGreen Trails executive director Larry Leveen, according to the county.
Following the ceremony, the Tahoma Bird Alliance will lead a guided bird walk along the trail. Pierce County’s Land Steward will lead an hour-long guided nature walk of the local wetlands and habitats. Other activities include nature scavenger hunts, a rubber-duck hunt, kids build-you-own-birdhouse and pinwheel-decorating crafts, free ice cream and bubble stations. You can register for the bird and nature walks online.
The paved Pipeline Trail follows the Tacoma Water Pipeline between 72nd Street East and 94th Avenue East, according to the county. Phase 1 of the project connects Tacoma’s Pipeline Trail at 72nd Street East and Waller Road East to Pierce County’s Orangegate Park. Construction began in 2023 and was completed this year.
Phase 1 cost about $6 million, including $1.5 million in Recreation and Conservation Office grants, $3.1 million in park impact fees, $1 million from the Pierce County Parks general fund and $300,000 in real estate-excise taxes, said county spokesperson Andriana Fletcher.
When future phases are complete, the Pipeline Trail will link the Nathan Chapman Memorial Trail in South Hill with the recently completed Pipeline Trail in the City of Tacoma, “expanding non-motorized commuting and recreation options while promoting healthy, active lifestyles,” according to the county.
“In the long term, Pierce County aims to link the Pipeline Trail with the Foothills Trail — part of the larger ‘Tahoma to Tacoma’ vision that connects communities from Commencement Bay to Mt. Rainier National Park through more than 21 miles of regional trails and bike infrastructure,” the county said in the news release.
This story was originally published June 28, 2025 at 5:15 AM.
