Trail Condition Updates, Tuesday morning, April 27

Staff was able to check all trails on Monday and began work on cleaning out the underpasses. There will be lots of equipment on the MKT and Bear Creek Trails this morning.

Here's an update for each trail:

MKT Trail: Rough from Forum Blvd east to bridge #10. Underpasses fairly clean, but water is still flowing through Stadium tunnel.

Forum Nature Area Trail is muddy and rutted.

Bear Creek Trail: Trail rough from Creasey Springs to Cosmo Park with a lot of silt deposits and exposed 3" base rock. Section is also very rough from east end of boardwalk to Garth Nature Area.

West of Garth to nearly Albert-Oakland has trail surface rock washed out in places

Hinkson Creek Trail: Rough west of Rock Quarry Road to bridge. A tree damaged a rail on the bridge so it is marked with caution tape.

Trail Condition Updates: Friday, 10/23/09

We've been getting some calls asking if any trails are flooded and as of 11:30 am on Friday, Oct 23, we are happy to report that all trails are still above flood waters. Park crews are nearly finished cleaning out the sand and silt that was deposited in the downtown and MKT Stadium tunnels and will begin inspecting all trails this afternoon.

Trail Condition Updates: Friday, 10/9/09

Hinkson Creek Trail (P&R Section) water receded- minor silting and gravel wash out, trail in fairly good condition.

Bear Creek Trail: Water receded and trail is rough, but passible for walkers from Cosmo park sled hill to Creasey Spring parking lot. Accumulation of sand/silt in trail tunnel under Creasey Springs road. Parking lot is partly covered with water and mud. The trail from the boardwal to wetland bridge is rough, but passible for walkers. Bikers should be cautious and slow down.

MKT Trail Tunnels--Caution!: Downtown tunnels mostly clear, Providence Road tunnel still has some water moving through it. Stadium Blvd tunnel still has fair amount of water running through it and quite a bit of debris. Proceed with caution at all tunnels. Watch for warning cones.

MKT Trail--Caution!: Water receded and trail is very rough with large washouts from about the 2 mile marker (bridge #10) to 2.6 mile near Forum Blvd crossing. Parking lot at Twin Lakes now open. Water on Scott blvd lot has receded and trail is accessible with minor silting and wash outs. Trail west toward county side is water covered.

4/30/09 Trail Status

3:30 pm.

Due to flooding, the following Columbia Parks and Recreation Department trails were closed:

MKT Trail: MKT Stadium Blvd access to Forum Blvd.
MKT Trail: Bridge #12 to Scott Blvd access. Parking lot at Scott under water.
Bear Creek Trail: Creasy Springs access to Cosmo Park.

Check back for regular updates.

Trail Status Updates: Friday

We will use this blog to update the status of the trails simply because I can access it from home and am able to quickly post updates. This is especially helpful as we will have park staff working this weekend on the trails.

MKT Trail: The MKT Trail repair is nearing completion. The Forum Nature Area has been resurfaced and should be completed by the end of the day if not sooner. All holes near bridges have been filled and compacted. However, please watch approaches to bridges as there may still be some settling.

Hinkson Creek Trail: Nearly 20 downed trees have been removed. Mud has been cleaned off and surface rock as been added. Trail repairs should be substantially completed by today.

Bear Creek Trail: Downed trees and limbs have been removed. Park staff started removing soil and mud from trail surface. We anticipate that we will start adding rock to the trail this afternoon. Trail still has rough areas so users should be cautious.

Blog will be updated as we hear reports back from staff.

Trails and Parks Closed Due to Flooding

It's really going to be nice to write something that doesn't involve rain, but unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case for a while.

As of Monday morning, the MKT Trail, Bear Creek Trail and the Hinkson Creek Trail all have significant water over the trail. Users should not attempt to use these areas until the water has receded and park crews are able to assess and repair the damage.

Additionally, the Twin Lakes Recreation Area is closed due to water over the entry road. The Bear Creek Nature Trail, located in the back or north end of Cosmo Park, has water over multiple sections of the trail.

Unfortunately, this doesn't just impact public recreation areas. Flooding has temporarily closed the Perche Creek Golf Course including the driving range, batting cages and go-carts. Wilson's indoor soccer facility located off of Forum Blvd has several feet of water in the facility and appears to be closed until further notice.

Check out the video from KMIZ-TV's Brynn Gingras on the flood's impact.