Interpretive Trail ready for viewing at Chehalis River Surge
Plain
By Craig Murphy
Vidette Associate Editor
This article first appeared in 2002
It took some time-and battling-but the Interpretive Trail at
the Chehalis River Surge Plain Natural Area Preserve is open
to the public.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources opened the
trail earlier this spring. The trail is located on Preachers
Slough Road, about 4 miles south of Montesano on State Route
107.
Local activist Jay Sterling is among those who has been trying
to get trails done in the area, including the one on Preachers
Slough. As he and Anne Moisanen walked the trail recently, Sterling
acknowledged the battle he and others have had with the DNR.
Battles included differences of opinion over what type of surface
should be used on the trail. Sterling pushed for a paved multi-use
trail which would be smooth enough for wheelchairs but more expensive.
The DNR pushed for a gravel trail. In the end, a crushed rock
top layer was put in for the first part of the trail.
"We had all the controversy about it," Sterling said
of the trail. "But it's all been sweetness and light the
last couple of years. The DNR has changed their plans."
The trail is a little less than four miles in total length, and
is not a loop. Sterling estimated the first part of the trail
is 7/10-mile. "The first segment has a pretty good gravel
base," he noted. "The first 7/10-mile is in pretty
good shape. The next part is still pretty rough. It's where they
took out the railroad ties."
At the conclusion of the crushed gravel part of the trail-which
the DNR lists as 1/2-mile in length-is an observation deck. "By
the viewing platform, everything was taken out, and new plants
and trees were planted," Sterling said, pointing out the
new growth visible throughout the area. "There had been
a lot of beachgrass and blackberry plants here before."
Along the trail are various interpretive signs telling of the
history of the surge plain area, as well as telling what a surge
plain is.
For example, one sign tells how the Preachers Slough area got
its name. In 1859, a young minister going from Cosmopolis to
South Montesano along the Chehalis River missed the main channel
and instead entered a slough. Thus, the waterway became known
as Preachers Slough.
To make the trail, railroad ties had to be removed. One interpretive
sign tells how the Union Pacific and Milwaukee Railroad locomotives
started using the route in 1910. By 1985, Milwaukee Railroad
had gone bankrupt, and Union Pacific rerouted its trains to more
stable tracks on the north side of the river, due to numerous
slides and washouts.
Before the trail was made, Sterling had traveled along the area
in his four-wheel-drive vehicle. Trees, large branches, and large
ruts dotted the path. "They have now been cleared,"
he said while walking on the crushed gravel part of the trail.
Various plants and trees line the sides of the entire trail.
There are maples, willows, dogwood, and alders, along with fruits
such as different kinds of salmonberries. "When you're hiking
on a warm day, those salmonberries sure are great," Moisanen
said of the berries which look like raspberries or blackberries
but are yellow or orange in color.
Sitka spruce is the most abundant evergreen tree found in the
surge plain. Sitka is the largest spruce in the world, capable
of growing up to 210 feet tall and living to be 800 years old.
In addition to the viewing platform, there are a couple of other
bridges on the trail. One is the handicap-accessible bridge at
the beginning of the trail. Another near the other end of the
trail connects two parts that previously were hard to reach.
"This bridge covers what used to be a swamp," Moisanen
said, pointing to some of the gaps between rocks below. "It
used to be you had to jump across."
Limited parking is available on either end of the trail. There
are approximately 12 spots between the two ends in small turnouts.
The east end parking is on Preachers Slough, where there is also
a vault toilet. The west end parking is alongside the Blue Slough
Road, with no toilet.
Several members of a surge plain focus group had questioned the
lack of parking spots during a January 2001 Montesano meeting
with DNR officials, but Sterling does not believe the problem
will be severe.
One problem Sterling does see is no dogs being allowed on the
trail. "That is my one sticking point," he said. "Bikes
are allowed, but not dogs," he said, opining that could
deter some people from coming who would like the protection of
a dog from animals that could be in the area.
Sterling said he is pleased with the trail being open, but would
like to see even more in the future. "I would eventually
like to see it paved," he noted. "Right now, it is
not very wheelchair or bike friendly. In this climate it is easier
to maintain a paved trail than a gravel trail. But overall I'm
happy."
In addition to the Preachers Slough trail, Sterling and others
have worked on other trails in the area, with a goal of having
a series of area trails connected to each other from Aberdeen
to Elma. Sterling has approached entities such as the county
and Grays Harbor Public Development Authority, but a lack of
funding has stalled progress, though resolutions recognizing
the need have been approved.
"This is the only one where we've accomplished anything,"
Sterling said. "With the other trails, nothing is going
on. These things take time. But we've at least established the
feasibility-and possibility-of a trail."
Slightly more than $400,000 was spent on the Preachers Slough
trail. The DNR Central Region office in Chehalis has more information
on the Chehalis River Surge Plain. The number is (360) 748-2383.
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