BELLINGHAM - A new 11/4-mile route connecting Raptor Ridge to the North Lost Lake Trail in the Chuckanut Mountain trail system has been completed, thanks to thousands of hours put in by volunteers.
The completed section is part of the Raptor Ridge Trail, making it a total of 13/4 miles, according to Tom Chisholm, trails and open space coordinator for Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department.
The single-track connector is rideable from the North Lost Lake Trail to the ridge and back. It turns the Raptor Ridge Trail into a loop, so people no longer are limited to going in and back out on the same route.
The department collaborated on the project, which is on county park land, with recreational groups representing trail runners and mountain bikers.
Chisholm said the connector was made possible by the WHIMPs Mountain Bike Coalition, which organized volunteers to build the trail, and Bellingham resident and ultra runner Daniel Probst.
Probst, who often runs on the system's trails, led the effort to get the connector built. It had been part of a trail master plan for the area going back to 1994.
"Without the WHIMPs, we would not have had the manpower to get it done," Chisholm said.
Chisholm said the new route has been a big hit with users. It is open to mountain bikers, runners, hikers and horses.
The build was tough work.
"It was by far our most challenging build," said Mark Peterson, president of WHIMPs, which has had years of experience building and maintaining about 44 miles of mountain biking trails on Galbraith Mountain.
"A lot of it was just hard work. There were big rocks, big trees and big roots," Peterson explained, adding that more than 4,000 volunteer hours went into the trail effort.
Chisholm agreed, adding that hand-built trails like this one take more time than those built with a mini-excavator.
"It took a lot longer to build than they originally thought. It went a lot longer into the year," Chisholm said. "The terrain was extremely rugged, very steep, very rocky with lots and lots of deep organic debris to get through."
He said the trail rolls up and down through forest, with rocks walls and plenty of big, old trees.
"It's very natural," Chisholm said of the connector, adding that it offers an experience similar to what people would find in a national forest or national park.
The work also included putting in a 30-foot puncheon bridge on the new connector, and a 25-foot rock walkway on the old part of the Raptor Ridge Trail, according to Chisholm.
The rock walkway was completed Aug. 18 and was the last piece of the project that has drawn community enthusiasm.
"It's just a cool trail, a gorgeous trail," Peterson said.
TRAIL ACCESS
The best map for the miles of routes in the Chuckanut Mountain trail system is made by Square One Maps. Called "Chuckanut Recreation Area," it can be bought in local outdoor stores or online at squareonemaps.com.
Because the addition to the Raptor Ridge Trail is new, it will not yet be on this map or others. But the Chuckanut Recreation Area map provides an overview of a whole series of trails in this area, including Blanchard State Forest, Larrabee State Park, Lake Padden Park, Lake Samish Park and Squires Lake Park.
There are multiple access points to the Raptor Ridge Trail, including its new section. They include the North Chuckanut Trailhead, Arroyo Park, Pine and Cedar Lakes Trail, off of Cleator Road (for bicyclists). Trail signs will help direct you.
For hikers, the Raptor Ridge Trail itself is likely moderate in difficulty. For mountain bikers, it's moderate to advance in terms of the challenge of the ride; but it requires a lot of fitness to get there.
A less detailed map of the Chuckanut Mountain Trail System, along with descriptions, is online at co.whatcom.wa.us/parks.
