Busy creekside hiking trail in Pierce County will be closed starting next week
Portions of Swan Creek Park and Swan Creek Trail will be closed starting next week for trail-restoration work and creek restoration, Pierce County announced.
The parking lot and park entrance at Pioneer Way in Tacoma’s Eastside neighborhood will be closed July 21 through October, in addition to a portion of the Swan Creek trail north of the creek’s pedestrian bridge that crosses down to the parking area. 64th Street East will also be closed through February 2026, according to the county. All other Swan Creek Park access points will remain open through construction.
Pedestrian trails, including the Rim Trail, and the Mountain Bike Park might be closed later this summer for two weeks “to accommodate helicopter delivery of project materials,” the county said in a news release. County spokesperson Amanda Smith told The News Tribune on Tuesday the county anticipates receiving the approved flight plan with the Federal Aviation Administration in the next month or so and said the county “will give notice of the closure areas and timing once the closure area is finalized.”
The closures are to allow construction crews and Pierce County Surface Water Management staff to build and install engineered log jams and reforest the ravine, which will restore the creek, the county said. Over time, erosion in the upper segments of the creek and sediment deposits have contributed to a loss of habitat, according to a county website about the project.
“These improvements will reduce impacts from erosion, enhance water quality and support healthier forest conditions,” the county said in the Monday news release. “Restoring natural stream processes will also create better habitat for salmon and contribute to long-term environmental preservation.”
Construction will take place over two phases, with the second phase beginning next summer, according to the county. It will cost $3.3 million, Smith said.
Funding for the project comes from Surface Water Management Funds and grant funding from Washington State Department of Ecology’s Floodplains by Design program and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, according to the county. The Puyallup Tribe of Indians has also supported the project through continued financial investments.
