ATTENTION: ROUTE CHANGE: In order to accommodate another event happening on the 13th, we have moved the start of the route to McMillin Trailhead
A day that I've been waiting for since November 2023 is almost here. On Saturday, September 13th, the new Spiketon Ditch Bridge is going to officially open! Pierce County Parks is helping to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new bridge that day. Travis Curry, Pierce County Parks Trails Planner, sent this over to Bob Myrick:
"Broad outline for the celebration – we're planning to meet at the bridge at 11 AM. Executive Mello, CM Morrell, Bre Fokes with the Foothills Coalition, and the mayors of Buckley and South Prairie will share some words. We'll cut a ribbon, take some photos, celebrate the full trail from Puyallup to Enumclaw, have some snacks, and ride back out."
TWBC is planning a ride on the 13th to celebrate the opening of the bridge. We will start at the East Puyallup Foothills trailhead and do a 46.7 mile out-and-back ride. The route will take us over the Spiketon Ditch bridge and then up by the new Doc Tait Pavilion in Buckley and across the White River Foothills Trail Bridge. We will continue around the plateau in Enumclaw and make Pinnacle Peak Park the turnaround point. We will make a stop at Rainier Fresh Market in Buckley at around 20 miles to grab water and/or a snack. You can find the route on Ride with GPS here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52568877
For
a shorter, social-paced ride, people can meet at Orting at 9:15 am to ride to Buckley, have a
snack or lunch and return to Orting.
The ribbon cutting is scheduled for 11 AM. We will leave the trailhead at 9:30 AM to give plenty of time to ride the 12 miles to get to the ceremony. We can kill some time at Trailside Espresso if we get there early.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, we can expect the trail in South Prairie to be crowded, so expect to maybe even have to walk our bikes a bit. Second, the White River Foothills Trail Bridge is likely to be busy because the bridge on Highway 410 is still closed. A lot of people are using the bridge to get over to Enumclaw and back. We will roll through there with caution.
If you haven't already signed a TWBC ride release, email me so that I can send you a form. For the form or if you have any questions, email me at tom.butler@twbc.org.