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Five articles that explore updates to Pierce County trails and parks

Stories by Tacoma News Tribune journalists, with AI summarization

This list of articles focuses on developments to Pierce County's trails and parks. They discuss new trails, park closures and conservation efforts.

One article highlights a new walking path between Tillicum and Lakewood. The project involves tree removal for the Gravelly-Thorne Connector. Another article details conservation purchases by the Pierce County Council. The funds aim to restore prairies and protect wetlands in areas like the Key Peninsula. One article describes work on Point Defiance Park's new Loop Trail. Another piece discusses the closed Bayside Trail in Tacoma. The city closed it due to safety and accessibility concerns.

A map shows the route of a new paved trail, the Gravelly-Thorne Connector, connecting Tillicum to Lakewood. By WSDOT

NO. 1: NEW WALKING PATH COMING TO PIERCE COUNTY. FIRST, 394 TREES MUST COME DOWN

Work is underway to build a new paved walking path that will connect the cities of Tillicum and Lakewood by foot for the first time. | Published August 13, 2025 | Read Full Story by Becca Most

Parks Tacoma capital improvement program manager Terry Jungman and Marty Stump, director of business, administration and planning outline the upcoming 1.6-mile paved pathway project in Point Defiance Park During a March 27, 2025 tour.The second phase for the Loop Trail will connect from Wilson Way Bridge, shown here, to numerous main public areas in the park while improving pedestrian safety. By Steve Bloom

NO. 2: PARTS OF POINT DEFIANCE PARK TO CLOSE AS WORK ON NEW TRAIL CONTINUES

Parts of Point Defiance Park will be closed Aug. | Published August 25, 2025 | Read Full Story by Isha Trivedi

This image shows people on a nature walk as part of the Pierce County Trail Days weekend in 2024.

NO. 3: NEW PARKS, TRAILS SAVED FROM DEVELOPMENT IN PIERCE COUNTY AFTER $6.4M PURCHASE

The Pierce County Council has approved a slate of new conservation projects that will restore prairies, add trails and protect forestland and wetlands. | Published August 29, 2025 | Read Full Story by Becca Most

Renee Buck, right, points to a butterfly spotted out of reach as she and other volunteers with the Cascades Butterfly Project survey a stretch of Mount Rainier National Park for the insects on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. By Liesbeth Powers

NO. 4: WHAT TO EXPECT AT MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK DURING THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Were you thinking of one last visit to Mount Rainier before the snow piles up? | Published October 9, 2025 | Read Full Story by Isabela Lund

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NO. 5: 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. | Published October 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Isha Trivedi

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.