Linking Yakima to Mount Rainier
Cowiche Canyon Conservancy is playing a lead role and partnering with others to help create the William O. Douglas Trail -- a trail that will extend from downtown Yakima to Mount Rainier. The word Cowiche, sometimes spelled Cowychee, is said to mean footbridge between the valley and the mountains, and, as it's name implies, CCC plays an important 'bridge' role in this larger vision.
Early survey maps, surveyor field notes, and historic studies indicate that the William O. Douglas Trail route follows many miles of the ancient Yakama-Cowlitz Pass Indian Trail, where thousands of moccasins have passed through the centuries across Yakima, Pierce, and Lewis Counties and the Cascade Crest near Mount Rainier National Park. This historic trail was a key regional Native American travel route for trade, commerce, exploration, and migration. Historic maps and studies show that the William O. Douglas Trail was an important travel route across Washington State for early pioneers and settlers who were exploring, migrating from the east, and settling in the Pacific Northwest.
The William O. Douglas Trail route includes Tieton Dam and the Rimrock Lake Reservoir, part of the Bureau of Reclamation’s “Yakima Project,” one of the nation’s earliest and largest irrigation projects. The Yakima Irrigation Project converted nearly a half million acres of sage-covered land into one of the richest agricultural areas in the nation. Biographical information and historic records document frequent use of the William O. Douglas Trail route by former United States Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, who in his youth explored and studied the wild landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. The writings, speeches, and United States Supreme Court opinions authored by Justice William O. Douglas indicate that explorations along the William O. Douglas Trail route profoundly affected national policies with respect to the nation’s natural landscapes.
Click here for the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy Area Map & William O. Dogulas Trail Alignment
Contact the CCC office for more information about this project.