King County Parks and Recreation has proposed to build a public access trail at the end of Peter Grubb Road for the horseback trail around Lake Youngs.
The proposal has divided those living near Lake Youngs between horseback riders, who believe the trail would be more convenient, and neighbors with property aligning the trail, who fear that it will result in the loss of privacy and fill the narrow road with parked cars.
Horseback riders, or anyone wishing to use the trail, currently have to drive their horses over to the nearest trailhead located on 184th Ave. S.E., according to Joan Burlingame, the legislative chair for the Back Country Horsemen of Washington.
The area for the trail is located on county property situated between several private residences.
Burlingame said she was contacted by members of the community, including Golden Horseshoes 4-H, and was asked if she would help them rebuild the trail, which she agreed to do.
“This is really exciting that we have youth deciding that they want to make a difference,” she said. “They’re going to take responsibility for part of their community.”
However, when a work party was organized through King County to help clear the trail of blackberry bushes and other invasive plant species, several neighbors complained to Burlingame.
“They were very upset,” she said.
Apparently, the King County Regional Trail System had already looked into building the trail, but had stopped when the wetlands would have required them to build a bridge, which they decided would cost too much. The neighbors living near the trail had asked Regional Trails to be contacted if the trail was ever eventually built. They were not notified before the work party began clearing plant-life because the King County Back Country Trail System was overseeing it and were unaware of the request.
Though the work party continued through the day, Duane Evans, the park district maintenance coordinator for King County, decided that the complaints had to be addressed before any work on the trail could begin.
“We want to be good neighbors,” he said.
A meeting was held May 3 over the proposal, where an estimated 40 people attended. Although there were heated moments, Burlingame said, it helped clarify the concerns of the nearby residents whose properties abut the trail.
Aside from privacy, their biggest concern was vehicles parking in the area next to the trail, which would congest the road space and cause safety issues.
“We’re going to work on that aspect of it,” Evans said, stating there would be no parking signs near the trail that might cause vehicle congestion.
According to Evans, anyone who would want to use the trail would either have to have local access or walk from another location where parking is permitted.
Burlingame said she understood why the neighbors were worried.
One of the neighbors also explained that several years ago an individual cut through the foliage on the King County property, without county permission and also cut into their property, where it left an area that teenagers went to have parties.
However, Burlingame believes that if the trail is built through King County it will be used by responsible people who will respect the private property of those living around it.
“To me, from what I see, when the county goes in and they do what’s right…then there really isn’t a problem, When you’ve got people doing it on their own, there’s problems.”
At about the same time, a no trespassing sign and fence was placed across the property owned by King County. Because they were illegal, the county recently removed both the fence and the sign.
Burlingame has no doubt, in spite of the issues they’ve encountered, the trail will eventually be built.
“To me, it’s a story that shows that things aren’t necessarily smooth,” she said. “But when the community works together things work out. They’ve worked hard to get to that point. They’re not there yet, but they will be. Will that (the trail) be done in the next two months? No. Will be it ready for the summer hiking? We’ll see.”
She added, “this is really a community effort,” especially among youth. Most of the costs of building the trail have been donated.
“When they put this trail in they are making a difference for kids who are going to be living here in 50 years,” she said. “They’re (trails) a special gem for the public to use.”
Evans stated the trail proposal is still in the preliminary stage and no decision has been made yet. Burlingame also said that the county will perform a survey to determine where exactly the property line is if and when they decide to build the trail.
Though the land the proposed trail would be on is owned by King County Roads, the horseback trail it would connect to is maintained by King County Parks and Recreation and is owned by the City of Seattle, which uses the Lake Youngs Reservoir for tap water.
According to the Golden Horseshoe 4-H Web site, they “teach horsemanship skills and training methods safely and prepare our members to compete at County & State Levels.” They hold monthly meetings at 7 p.m. at Cedar River Middle School in Maple Valley.
