A trail in Tacoma recently made headlines. Here’s what we know about it
A closed trail in north Tacoma recently made news in regards to Tacoma City Council District 2 candidate Ben Lackey, who was expelled from all Parks Tacoma facilities and events between September 2024 and September of this year.
That expulsion was in effect as Lackey was campaigning for council, with the restoration of the Bayside Trail among his top priorities. The letter outlining Lackey’s expulsion notes that it was his actions and advocacy work regarding the Bayside Trail that contributed to his expulsion from the parks.
So what is the Bayside Trail?
The Bayside Trail, which runs along North Tacoma’s Schuster Parkway, first opened in 1975, according to the city. The roughly two-mile path was once designated a “national recreation trail” by the now-shuttered federal Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, according to The News Tribune’s archives. According to the Washington state Recreation and Conservation office, the project cost a total of $138,720, an amount that was partially covered by the city and partially covered through a grant from the Department of the Interior.
The city ordered the trail closed in 2000.
City spokesperson Maria Lee said the trail closed due to “concerns around slope stability, ADA access, and emergency services access,” and it remains to be closed to this day.
There also were complaints about unsavory activity and homeless camps along the trail, according to News Tribune archives.
Workers reportedly removed several truckloads of trash from the trail in 2003, including liquor bottles, blankets, mattresses and needles. Businesses in the Stadium District reported that the presence of homeless people nearby was hurting business, one TNT story states.
“A lot of people were naive about what could be achieved and what could be maintained,” Bob Ramsey, a landscape architect who helped design a neighboring park, told The News Tribune about the trial in 2003.
The Bayside Trail is immediately adjacent to the Garfield Trail, a trail that runs through the Garfield Gulch – under Parks Tacoma’s jurisdiction – and is separate from the Bayside Trail, according to Parks Tacoma spokesperson Stacia Glenn. The end of the Garfield Trail should be demarcated by caution tape and signs that read “hazardous conditions,” Glenn added.
The Bayside Trail remains closed to this day, Lee said. As it exists, the closed trail runs along Schuster Parkway and is part of the city’s Schuster Parkway Trail system. The city is keeping open lines of communication with Tacoma residents and Parks Tacoma and is exploring ways to enhance public access to the waterfront, trails and open space, in an effort to balance public access to the trail with “safety and responsible resource management,” Lee added.
“Some envision a restored trail offering valuable public access,” Lee wrote to The News Tribune. “Others have safety concerns as their property borders the closed portion of the trail.”
“While the city’s current budget shortfalls presents some limitations, the city is working to find creative ways to enhance Tacoma’s open spaces,” she added. “This includes pursuing grant opportunities and innovative partnerships that could unlock additional resources.”
This story was originally published October 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
