New loop trail gives Pierce County hikers first access to 50 acres of forest
The city of Gig Harbor has opened a new 0.6-mile trail north of Rosedale Street, representing the first public access to forest land that the city set aside for conservation in 2024.
Hikers can access the Richard H. Shaw Loop Trail from the Cushman Trail, about two-thirds of a mile north of Rosedale Street, according to the city’s Department Updates newsletter May 20. The trail is not paved and can be muddy.
Only walkers and hikers can use the trail. Bicycles, e-bikes, scooters and motorized vehicles aren’t permitted, according to the city’s newsletter.
In the summer of 2024, the city of Gig Harbor closed on a deal with private landowners and conservationists to permanently save the final parcel of land in what is now the txʷaalqəł Conservation Area, The News Tribune reported. The total conservation area spans about 52 acres and protects critical fish habitat. The city’s newsletter says that more trails will be developed for the public in the years ahead.
The city purchased part of the conservation area from the Shaw, Warren and Peschek families in 2022, and agreed to name part of the property after Richard H. Shaw, according to a city resolution naming the loop trail. Shaw was a “local builder, developer, farmer and businessman who served on the board of directors at Foss Waterway Seaport and owned Pleasurecraft Marina,” the resolution says.
