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Serving as the backbone for Thurston County’s regional trail network, the Chehalis Western Trail can be its own adventure, or it can be enjoyed in conjunction with other trails.

If you start at the Chehalis Western Trailhead, you’ll be able to hike the Upper Overlook Trail through Woodard Bay NRCA, unless you’re there between April and August when the trail is closed for nesting herons. The path (hiking only) follows a siding of the former main line that crossed Woodard Bay and Weyer Point and ended at Weyerhaeuser’s log dump in Chapman Bay, where logs were floated to mills in Everett. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources replanted the rail right-of-way and removed most of the trestles to restore the natural habitat here.

Heading south, you’ll arrive in Lacey to find pedestrian bridges over Martin Way Southeast, I-5, and Pacific Avenue Southeast. Just south of that third bridge, the trail crosses the ssss1, which serves as a 2.5-mile connection to Olympia.

Trail traffic can get crowded in Lacey, where the old railroad corridor bisects new neighborhoods. South of town, trail users have to negotiate a short stretch of dirt trail and road shoulder to avoid an above-grade railroad crossing. After that, you’ll pass the fast-flowing Deschutes River and an outdoor sculpture park before arriving at the end of the trail. There’s no parking or services here, but a 2-mile ride northeast on the ssss1 takes you to Rainier, where you’ll find a small grocery, restrooms, and a restaurant.