Presently there is only one documented ADA trail in Kittitas County - Gold Creek Pond. Fiorito Ponds also has ADA facilities including a trail along the ponds. The rest of the easy to moderate trails shown here MAY be doable for some outdoor scooter users or slow walkers. This area will be updated with trip notes when more is known.

Gold Creek Pond Picnic Area

Directions:
Gold Creek Pond is located near the crest of the North Cascade Mountains, just north of Interstate 90 and east of Snoqualmie Pass. From Seattle, drive 51 mi E on I-90 to Snoqualmie Pass. Take the Hyak exit #54 off I-90. Go north and turn right on Forest Service Road #4832 that parallels the north side of the freeway. Drive 1.5 miles, turn left on Gold Creek road #142 and turn left in 0.75 mile into the Gold Creek Pond parking lot.

Features:
This is a paved 1-mile loop trail with exceptional views of prominent peaks. This barrier-free interpretive trail loops around the pond along goose, osprey, and beaver habitat. Look for waterfowl, ospreys, geese, great blue heron, songbirds, bull trout, and kokanee. There are ample opportunities for wildlife viewing (especially in the evenings) and beautiful views of the Gold Creek Valley.

Most of the active glaciers in the lower 48 states are located in the North Cascade Mountains and the rock formations you see around Gold Creek Pond today result from thousands of years of glacial and volcanic action in the Snoqualmie Pass area. Large glaciers once filled the valley, descending almost to sea level along the Snoqualmie River valley. These ancient glaciers ground steep rock slopes into dust particles, which caught in crevices, mixed with lichens, seeds and other wind-blown material and formed soil, which eventually supported the plant communities that exist here now.

The pond was formed by the removal of gravel during the construction of Interstate 90. The 15-acre spring-fed pond has a man-made channel that flows into Gold Creek. Chickamin Peak, within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area, provides a majestic back-drop to Gold Creek Pond. The mountain and the upper Gold Creek valley are often reflected in the pond, providing great photo opportunities.

Other Info:
Accessible restrooms, partially accessible picnic tables. A Northwest Forest Pass is required for each vehicle parked at the trailhead. A picnic area at the pond contains picnic tables, garbage cans, portable toilets and barbecues.

Fiorito Ponds PublicHunting/Fishing Area (WDFW)

Directions:
On I-90, take exit 109 from Ellensburg. Go S for 1 mi on Canyon Rd. Go E on Tjossem Rd for 1.65 mi. Go S for 1.2 mi on County Rd 6. Access is on the right.

Features:
Accessible trail on a well-stocked fishing lake. Bank fishing for rainbow and brown trout. There is a natural bank boat launch.

Other Info:
Some big brown trout can be found in these lakes, and the best time to catch them is in the fall, you can also entice these big browns in the early mornings and late evenings. The game department has also stocked Fiorito with the Brute stock rainbows averaging 6-10 pounds.
There are also bass in these two lakes, especially the south lake. The trout tend to average about 11-15 inches. Gas motors are prohibited.

Iron Horse Trail - East

Directions:
There are numerous points along the trail that serve as trailheads. Starting at the pass:

Hyak Trailhead - From I-90 take exit 54 (Hyak). Go south and turn left onto the access road on the south side of the freeway. Go 0.125 mile and turn right on the first road, Forest Service Road 22191. Take an immediate right up the hill on an access road signed to the Hyak Trailhead.

Keechelus Lake Trailhead - Take I-90 to exit 54 (Hyak). Take the first left along the frontage road and then the first right on Forest Service Road 22191 for 0.25 mile.

Crystal Springs Trailhead - From I-90 take exit 62 and go south about 1 mile. There is a large signed trailhead parking area on the right.

Easton Trailhead - From I-90 take exit 71, go straight at the stop sign and continue up the hill. Turn left just past the fire hall down a long gravel driveway to reach the trailhead on the right.

West Nelson Siding - From I-90 take exit 78 (Golf Course Road) and go south 200 yards.

South Cle Elum Trailhead - From I-90 take exit 84 and go west into Cle Elum. Turn south on Reed Street, marked with a sign to South Cle Elum. Go south across the Yakima River, and Reed Street becomes East Fourth Street. Turn right on Madison and in two blocks left onto West 6th Street. Turn right onto Milwaukee Avenue, and the trailhead is on your left at West 7th Street. [Map]

Thorp Trailhead - From I-90 take exit 93 and go north a short distance to where the trail crosses Thorp Road.

SR 97 - SR 97 crosses the trail about 3 miles west of Ellensburg.

Ellensburg - From I-90 take exit 106 and go north. Turn right on Cascade Way and follow it as it makes a right turn, but remains Cascade Way. Follow Cascade Way into town and turn left on North Water Street, which crosses the grade in about 0.25 mile.

Kittitas - From I-90 take exit 115 (Kittitas) and go north. The road crosses the trail.

Boylston Tunnel - From I-90 take exit 115 (Kittitas) and go north. Go east on the Kittitas Highway to Mundy Road. Turn south over I-90 and take the first right just after you pass under the railroad trestle and follow it up to the tunnel.

Features:
The section from Snoqualmie Pass to Ellensburg is a gentle downhill grade that follows the old Milwaukee Road rail bed and includes a number of tunnels. The trail bed is gravel and original ballast trail and some portions are reportably extremely rough and rocky for mountain bikes. Add to this is the complaint that too much gravel with round rocks was placed in some places making it far to deep and causing tires to sink into it! The trail is constantly getting upgraded though and what an opportunity to see a variety of country. Definately take a companion or two with you on this one. This trail is certainly not ADA accessible, but it is included here because of the gentle grade and users with outdoor mobility scooters or slow walkers or bicyclists with wide tires should be able to handle sections of the trail. Stay tuned for trip reports. The trail elevation descends from 3100' to 1500', not in excess of a 2% grade. There are a number of options here such as negotiating a short up and back stretch of the trail or having someone drop you off at one trailhead and picking you up at the end. Remember to respect your limitations, such as how far you can go on a fully charged battery.

At the developed Hyak trailhead there is a large parking lot. From here the trail heads east hugging the south shore of Keechelus Lake with great views across the lake. This is a popular section of the trail and you will definately see other hikers and bikers on it. You will pass an area prone to avalanches where two snow sheds were removed. Watch for falling rocks. Snoqualmie Summit to Crystal Springs is about 8 miles.

The Crystal Springs trailhead has a campground, restrooms, and a large parking area for horse trailers. You are now on the eastern slopes of the Cascades and the forest has more pines and is drier. After several miles you will cross the Cabin Creek Road into a clearing with BPA high-voltage transmission lines overhead. Just past the power lines the trail crosses over Yakima River on a rebuilt bridge giving you views of Lake Easton. The trail also crosses the BNSF Railway Stampede Pass line, which is an active railroad corridor. It passes through a short tunnel high above Lake Easton. The trail comes out at a diversion dam that pulls water from Lake Easton for irrigation use downstream. Caution, there are no guard rails here! The trail then enters the backside of Easton and passes through to the Easton Trailhead, which is a gravel parking lot on the south side of the trail. Crystal Springs to Easton is xx miles. There is accessible camping at Lake Easton State Park. with accessible restrooms.

The Lake Easton trailhead has 2 vault toilets, 5 picnic tables, water, a loading ramp and a 21-vehicle parking lot. From the developed Lake Easton trailhead, the trail parallels both I-90 and the active Stampede Pass rail line. The highway is usually out of site, but you can hear the traffic occasionally. You will pass over a few bridges on your way into South Cle Elum. Lake Easton to South Cle Elum is 11.4 miles.

From the developed South Cle Elum trailhead, the trail parallels I-90 and then goes under it heading away from the freeway noise into picturesque Little Yakima Canyon leading to Thorp. This part of the trail is also known as the John Wayne pioneer Trail. This is one of the most scenic legs of the trail. It winds along the Yakima River through pine forests and several short tunnels, including the 320-foot Thorp Tunnel, to a dry corridor of open country lined by basalt columns and outcroppings. Across the river the active rail line continues to follow along. The trail comes out of the canyon and passes near Thorp. The distance from South Cle Elum to Thorp is 18.6 miles. Many feel that the section of river that flows through the Yakima Canyon is the best trout fishing in the state. For roughly 20 miles the Yakima winds through the arid canyon. Access for bank and wading able-bodied anglers is good. (Note: I'll try to find some accessible spots and document it here.)

From Thorp, the trail again crosses the Yakima River and the active rail line, and then makes an elevated crossing of SR 10. To access the trail here, go east a short distance and take a shortcut road to SR 97, where the trail crosses at grade. The distance from Thorp to Ellensburg is 6.8 miles. The trail is blocked in Ellensburg by the Central Washington State Campus and long distance users have to detour around at this point. (A side note here to compare two Washington cities and their approach to trails: Vancouver has used its trail systems as a magnet, a source of community pride and activities, and has won national awards for their forward thinking. Ellensburg on the other hand was reportably opposed to the trail running through its community -- and this is a college town? -- go figure!)

From Ellensburg the trail climbs to the Boylston Tunnel, passing by farms and eventually the small town of Kittitas. In Kittitas, there is a park south of the trail where it crosses the main street through town.

From Kittitas, there is a long remote stretch of trail clear to the Columbia River in Vantage. There are no facilities along this arid and isolated section, including no access to water. The sandy tread in that stretch has not been upgraded to trail standard, and at present, is most appropriate for able-bodied walkers and horse riders. For those able to take it, the trail dips from the rangelands around Ellensburg into the isolated, rocky and sage-covered scrublands of a military test area. It is especially beautiful in spring with lots of wildflowers and this section is a year-round a home to abundant wildlife: coyotes, mule deer, pheasants, quails, and owls. (The military can close this part of the trail for exercises.)

Other Info:

The Iron Horse State Park Trail follows the Interstate-90 corridor known as the Mountains to Sound Greenway. Over 1.2 million people per year visit the Iron Horse State Park Trail. Remnants of the old railroad are still present: trestles, tunnels, bridges, signal foundations, ties, spikes, etc. In June 1998, I-90 became the only interstate highway in the U.S. to be designated a National Scenic Byway known as the Mountains to Sound Greenway.

The Iron Horse Bed and Breakfast is located near the South Cle Elum trailhead. Take a Wagon Train Adventure riding in old-fashioned horsedrawn wagons along a section of the Iron Horse trail.

For long distance hikers/bikers there are four campgrounds along the trail, each with three to four campsites, one picnic table and a vault toilet. They are located at milepost 2109.5 at Roaring Creek, milepost 2113.2 at Coal Creek, milepost 2123.2 at Carter Creek and milepost 2127.1 at Alice Creek.

Nearby Camping is also available near the trail at U.S. Forest Service campgrounds at Tinkham, Denny Creek, Lake Kachess and Crystal Springs. There is state park camping at Lake Easton and Wanapum.

Lake Easton State Park. Located one mile west of Easton, off Interstate 90 exit #70, 15 miles west of Cle Elum, and 15 miles east of Snoqualmie Pass . It has 145 campsites (reservations required) with accessible utility sites available. It also has a boat launch on Lake Easton (not a good fishing lake), picnic tables and hot showers (all non-ADA).
Lake Kachess. Nestled in the forest, this crystal-clear lake serves as a reservoir for the Kittitas Valley. It provides a boat launch, as well as good areas for camping and hiking. Take Interstate 90 going west to the exit after Easton and follow the signs. Kachess Lake campground has accessible restrooms and partially accessible tenting and picnic area. From Snoqualmie Pass, drive E on I-90 for 13 mi to Kachess Lake Rd exit. Turn left onto Kachess Lake Rd. Follow about 6 mi to site on FS 4900.

Further away camping includes:

Lion Rock. A rustic campground with a spectacular scenic viewpoint, of the Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams and the Stuart Range. It's great for picnicking, hiking (not accessible) and photography. From the northwest side of town, follow Reecer Creek Road and watch for signs along the way. Eventually this road will also lead to Liberty.

Wishpoosh & Salmon La Sac. Huge rock formations and forested areas along the Cle Elum River, west of Ellensburg, provide fantastic locations for hiking and picnicking or just sitting and taking in the wonder of it all. Official camping and picnic grounds are also located along Lake Cle Elum and the Cle Eum River.

Indian Camp (DNR). Start at Interstate 90 exit 85 (Cle Elum). Go E on State Route 970 for 6.9 mi. Turn left on Teanaway Rd. Go 7.3 mi. Turn left on West Fork Teanaway Rd. for 0.6 mi. Turn right on Middle Fork Teanaway Rd.(paved, two lane/gravel, one lane.) Go 3.9 mi site on left. Open forest stream side setting. Primitive campsites. Hitching rails available. Access to many miles of horse, hiker, mountain bike trails on Wenatchee National Forest. Accessible restrooms and camping.

Beverly Campground. From Cle Elum, drive E on SR 970 for 6.9 mi. Turn left onto Teanaway Rd (FS 9737) for 16 mi to site. Campsites are open and level - accessible restrooms, partially accessible picnic tables and camping.

Taneum Campground. From Cle Elum, drive E on I-90. Take Elk Heights Rd, exit 93. Turn left over hwy and then turn right onto Thorp Prairie Rd. Follow for about 3.5 mi. Turn right onto Taneum Rd. Follow for about 6.5 mi to site on FS 3300. Wooded area with level sites, accessible restrooms partially accessible picnic tables, camping, and water.

The Mountains to Sound Greenway March is an annual summer event that incorporates about 70 miles of the Iron Horse State Park Trail. Wagon riders leave from Thorp and travel 130 miles west to Seattle.

Also see the North Puget Sound, I-90 Corridor section. The Iron Horse - West trail continues from Snoqualmie Pass down to North Bend.

See the Seattle PI article on the Iron Horse Trail for some interesting history.

For a free brochure on the Iron Horse State Park Trail, or updates on trail conditions, call State Parks' toll-free information line, 800-233-0321.

The Coal Mines Trail

Directions:
Roslyn trailhead is located approximately 30-40 minutes west of Ellensburg off Interstate 90 on SR 903. [Roslyn Map] Cle Elum trailhead is located off I-90 exit on Rossetii Way. [Cle Elum Map]

Features:
This rail-trail follows the old railroad grade between Cle Elum, Roslyn and Ronald. The centerpiece of the trail is the quaint town of Roslyn, which was the site for filming the old "Northern Exposure." Unlike many places in America, Roslyn's history and heritage remain obvious after more than one hundred years. Along the trail you can see remains of Roslyn's mines, at the railroad depot site and barn, and at Powder House Road where dynamite was stored. Future trailhead improvements are planned in each of the communities and a connection to the Iron Horse State Park is also envisioned. Accessibility not confirmed at this time.

Other:
Have breakfast in Roslyn while your in the Cle Elum area. This historic coal-mining town boasts of a log cabin built in the 1880's (2nd and Utah Streets), 25 old ethnic cemeteries, and the quaint Roslyn Museum (on Pennsylvania Avenue). This was the main filming location for the TV series, Northern Exposure. Also see Swiftwater Driving Tour.

Paul Rogers Wildlife Refuge Park - Ellensburg

Directions:
Located on Judge Ronald Road approximately one mile from Ellensburg.

Features:
This 19.8-acre park provides a natural setting for local wildlife and features a number of groomed trails and paths. Accessibility not confirmed at this time. The refuge consists of open fields, wetlands, and woods that provide temporary and permanent habitats for a variety of flora and fauna in the area. The variety of vegetation provides food for birds such as chickadees, finches,
pheasants, California quail, hawks, mallards, coyotes and cottontail rabbits.

Sagebrush Trail Park - Ellensburg

Directions:
The park is located from 4th Ave. to Poplar St. in Ellensburg.

Features:
A developed walkway, Accessibility not confirmed at this time.

Wildlife Access Area - Washington Department of Wildlife

Directions:
The park is located 3 miles south of Ellensburg. Follow Canyon Road to Ringer Loop Road and turn right. Follow the road until you see the public fishing sign.

Features:
A park along the Yakima River, providing public fishing and scenic nature trails that follow the river. Accessibility not confirmed at this time.

Other:
A parking permit is required and can be obtained from any store location that sells hunting and fishing licenses.

Irene Rinehart Riverfront

Directions:
Located along the Yakima River west of Ellensburg. Follow Main Street south to McDonalds and turn right on Damman Road, turn right again into the parking lot just past the Carey Lake Golf Course and before coming to the Yakima River.

Features:
This park contains two lakes--one for swimming and non-motorized water sports; expanses of grass; trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding; as well as picnic and restroom facilities.

Other:
Dogs are allowed at the upper lake and must be on a leash. Accessibility not evaluated at this time.

Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park

Directions:
Located appoximately 30 miles east of Ellensburg, Wash., on the Columbia River. From east or west on I-90: Take exit #136. Follow signs south on Huntzinger Rd. three miles to Wanapum or north through Vantage one mile to Ginkgo.

Features:
Located just before you reach Vantage (traveling east on the Old Vantage Highway) this beautiful state park includes a museum with excellent displays including petrified wood and petroglyphs. A viewpoint and picnic area are nearby. The petrified forest above the museum makes an interesting walking tour.

A wide variety of wildlife exists in the park. Deer, elk, and coyote are some of the more common mammals found here. From spring to fall many types of reptiles can be seen. During the cooler hours of the day, lizards and snakes, like the side blotched lizard, the gopher snake and of course, the poisonous Northern Pacific rattlesnake, are found foraging through the sagebrush. Birds also live here, like the finch, the raven, the hawk and the great bald eagle.

At the Natural Area, a trail system follows an exposure of a prehistoric lake bed where wood deposits occur. In addition to the 1.2 kilometer (3/4-mile) interpretive trail, a four kilometer (2.5 mile) hiking trail gives access to the central Washington sagebrush environment. Pets must be on a leash.

Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park has 10 picnic sites, restrooms and parking for 80 cars. There are 42.5 miles of hiking trails and 2.5 miles of interpretive trails in the park (none of which are designated as ADA accessible).

Other Info:
Camping at Wanapum State Park & Columbia River. Two miles south of Vantage, the park's grassy, tree-filled area features picnicking, swimming, a boat ramp, a trailer park and camping. This is a popular area for water skiing and soaking in the sun. There are 50 campsites with trailer hookups and a day use area with beach access located near the campground proving easy access to the Columbia River.

Wanapum Dam & Visitor Center has artifacts, photos and art providing an interesting and educational insight into the lives of Indians, fur traders, soldiers, miners and ranchers. Public viewing of the dam's powerhouse, generator gallery and fish-viewing room is available. Take Interstate 90 east to Vantage, cross the Columbia River and turn south onto Highway 243--watch for signs.

Symbols

	An agency or a trip evaluation has rated all or part of the trail as wheelchair accessible.
	There is some terrain greater than a 5% grade. A wheelchair user may require assistance on portions of this trail. Suitable for power mobility devices.
	No Dogs are allowed on the trail.