New Pierce Co. park with trails and campsites will be 139 acres. $950,000 raised
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- The Wilkeson Historical District raised funds to reach a $950,000 goal to buy 139 acres.
- Pierce County authorized $857,250 to go toward the project on Oct. 21, 2025.
- Town plans passive recreation and partial public access by fall 2027.
A long-time dream for Wilkeson is now a reality.
Jayme Peloli, mayor of Wilkeson and head of the Wilkeson Historical District, told The News Tribune the town has raised all of the funds needed to purchase 139 acres of land for its Wilkeson’s Way Forward project.
Peloli launched the Wilkeson’s Way Forward campaign in April 2025 with the goal of purchasing 139 acres of forested land between Coke Oven Park and the Fairfax Bridge. The project aims to revitalize Wilkeson’s economy after the permanent closure of the Carbon River Fairfax Bridge in April 2025.
The land is currently owned by the timber company Weyerhaeuser, and Peloli said the town has been looking to buy the property for over 30 years.
“We made it, it’s time to close,” Peloli told The News Tribune in an interview on April 24. “I’d like to sit and enjoy it, but we have so many things to do. We took a couple days to really let it sink in, and now we’re moving forward.”
Peloli previously told The News Tribune the land will be used for “passive recreation,” such as biking and walking. There are many existing trails in the park, and Peloli is hoping to add some new ones and add other recreation elements such as campsites and ball fields.
The Wilkeson Historical District hosted a fundraising dinner with an auction on April 18, Peloli said, which secured the remaining funds needed for its $950,000 goal. Pierce County is contributing the lion’s share of the money; on Oct. 21, 2025, the county council authorized $857,250 for the project.
Peloli said the rest of the funds came from a combination of grants, corporate partnerships, grassroots fundraising and money from the auction.
Residents can expect to use the park around fall 2027, she said.
What are the plans for this land?
Peloli previously shared the land acquisition and development proposal with The News Tribune. In the proposal, proposed features include “an outdoor amphitheater, campsites, ball fields, hiking trails, playgrounds, and a second set of railroad tracks at Coke Oven Park to support the annual handcar races.”
The land contains many traces of the town’s coal origins, including coke ovens, coal washes and the entrance to the Skookum Slope coal mine, which served as a major coal source during World War II.
Wilkeson is hoping to use the land to fulfill people’s appetites for passive recreation in the area, Peloli previously told The News Tribune. She hopes this will help the town recover from the closure of the Carbon River Fairfax Bridge, which was the only way for drivers to access key areas of Mount Rainier National Park, such as Mowich Lake, Tolmie Peak and Spray Park.
Since the closure, businesses have been struggling to stay afloat without the tourist traffic from residents stopping by on their way to the mountain.
“We want a place where people can go bring their families and their dogs and their pets and enjoy a beautiful hike and then stop in downtown Wilkeson and enjoy the businesses while you’re here,” Peloli told The News Tribune in November.
How much did it cost and what happens now?
Before the April 18 fundraising dinner, Peloli had $95,250 left to raise.
“We had kind of a plethora of opportunities come about – people wanted to support it, it was beautiful, it was almost completely sold out,” Peloli said. “The community showed up in amazing ways, donation of items and gift baskets, opportunities for vacation rentals. It was really great.”
The historical district raised $50,000 in private donations before the auction, Peloli said, and closed the gap during the dinner.
Now, Peloli says the next steps are to conduct the appraisal review and close.
They received a $50,000 Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) grant from the state, which will fund the wetland study. Peloli also said U.S. Rep Kim Schrier, who represents District 8, is aiming to get them $1.2 million in federal funding to help develop the property.
“We definitely want to start minimal once we secure the property, we want to do some work to create phases that open up the property,” Peloli said. “There are existing trails already that allow you to go up and overlook Gale Creek, the Skookum Mine, we want to be deliberate and sensitive to those areas. We’ve got a lot of mines on our property, there’s a lot of reclamation and testing and for the bulk of the property that has to be done first before we can really open it up.”
There are a lot of variables, Peloli said, but residents can be optimistic that they’ll be able to use parts of the property starting in fall 2027.
“Definitely between the studies, the wetlands, the reviews, some development funds coming next year, I would say next fall would probably be a pretty close timeline to access or utilize this area,” Peloli said. “A lot of things can happen between now and then. We’re going to push to have a good, sizable chunk available towards the end of next year. I think that’s going to be a realistic timeline.”
News Tribune archives contributed to this report.
