Pierce County Parks invites the community to the groundbreaking event of the new Parkland Community Trail on Saturday, Sept. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This groundbreaking event will be a fun day to enjoy the first days of fall. Celebration activities include free bike helmet giveaways courtesy of PPW, free trees to beautify your yard, lawn games, and scavenger hunts for all ages to enjoy.

Speakers include Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello, Pierce County Councilmember Jani Hitchen (District 6), Pierce County Parks Director Travis Buell, Pierce County Central Regional Parks Manager Andrea Clay, Pierce County Planning and Public Works (PPW) Director Josh Diekmann and BlueZones Project Parkland-Spanaway Executive Director Queena Tupou.

Guests are asked to park at Sprinker Recreation Center (521 Military Rd S., Tacoma, WA 98444) and to walk north along the paved trail, located at the west end at the parking lot, near Bresemann Forest. The walk is expected to take five minutes. Wayfinding signage will be available leading to the event site.

To view a map of the event location and to learn more, visit the Parkland Community Trail project website.

About the Parkland Community Trail Project

Phase one construction of the Parkland Community Trail is expected to begin later this fall. When completed in late 2026, it will be a 1.8 mile, paved, fully accessible, multi-use trail that will begin at Sprinker Recreation Center and end at Tule Lake Rd. The trail will provide a safe, non-motorized route for people of all ages and abilities in an area that currently has few sidewalks or bike lanes.

Along the route, the trail will connect to five schools (Pacific Lutheran University, Washington High School, Keithley Middle School, Brookdale Elementary School, Mary’s Academy) as well as three County Parks (Parkland Prairie, Gonyea Playfield, Spanaway Regional Park). Pedestrian crossing signals will also be installed at Tule Lake Rd. and 138th St. S.

For more details and to sign up for email alerts, visit the project website.