King County Parks Approves New Trails Plan for Big Finn Hill Park in Kirkland, Washington

Kirkland, WA, September 19, 2013 --(PR.com)-- After a year of committee meetings attended by local residents, pedestrians, dog owners, and mountain bikers, King County Parks has approved a trails plan for Big Finn Hill Park. The trails plan is designed to improve existing trails by using modern trail planning and building techniques to mitigate areas of potential user conflict, increase trail sustainability, and create fun, well-built challenges for mountain bikers.

The new Big Finn Hill Trails Plan is being implemented by King County Parks in conjunction with volunteers from Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance and Finn Hill Neighborhood Alliance.

“Demand for great trails close to Seattle is growing,” says David Kimmett of King County Parks. “And Big Finn Hill provides many opportunities to create a terrific, sustainable trail network in an area that many hikers and bikers already visit.”

The plan includes several phases that provide for new signage, improved drainage on many trails, elimination of hazardous obstacles, and rebuilding of jumps and other bike-specific features to industry standard. Additionally, some trails are going to be rerouted to make the park more enjoyable for all user groups.

To begin implementing the new plan, Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance is kicking-off a series of trail work parties at Big Finn Hill with an all-day Trail School on September 21st teaching how to build and maintain sustainable trails in a wet Northwest environment. The trail school, and all work parties, are open to the public and free to attend. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with King County once again, and with the Finn Hill Neighborhood Alliance, to create sustainable trails for everyone to enjoy,” says Evergreen’s Executive Director, Glenn Glover.

Big Finn Hill Park trails connect with adjacent Saint Edward State Park and Bastyr University trails to create one of Seattle's most utilized suburban trail networks. While the east side of the 220-acre park was developed with ball fields and play equipment, the sloped, more rugged west side of the park has evolved into a trail network over decades without the benefit of a formal plan. This has produced a very popular trail network in need of well-thought-out modifications to ensure long-term sustainability.

Members of the press are invited to attend the Trail School and trail work parties.

Learn more about Big Finn Hill Park here: http://edit.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks/about/notices/bigfinntrails.aspx

For information about trail work parties visit the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance calendar: http://evergreenmtb.org/recreation/calendar_view.php

About Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance

Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance is Washington State’s largest mountain bike organization, with more than 10,000 followers, and is dedicated to trail maintenance and building, advocacy and education. Created in 1989 as a nonprofit, grassroots solution to local trail networks closing to riders, Evergreen has since grown to become a partner with public land managers across the state, contributing more than 10,000 hours of volunteer labor in the past year alone. The organization is internationally known for creating both Colonnade and Duthie Hill mountain bike parks. To learn more about Evergreen visit http://www.evergreenmtb.org.

About King County Parks

Celebrating its 75th Anniversary, King County Parks - Your Big Backyard - offers more than 200 parks and 26,000 acres of parks and natural lands, including such regional treasures as Marymoor Park and Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, 175 miles of regional trails, 180 miles of backcountry trails and a world-class aquatic center. By cultivating strong relationships with non-profit, corporate and community partners, King County Parks enhances park amenities while reducing costs. Learn more at http://www.kingcounty.gov/parks/.