22 Organizations Back New Non-motorized Recreation Opportunities near Wenatchee

Today, Washington Wild coordinated a letter to the Wenatchee River Ranger District signed by an additional 21 recreation, conservation and local business leaders supporting the Number Two Canyon Trails project. The project, proposed by the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, would construct or improve nearly 30 miles of non-motorized trail, add two trailheads, create a downhill and skills mountain bike park and improve 1.2 miles of forest service access roads. It would include a motorized closure for the area and allow for quality winter non-motorized access for snowshoeing and cross country skiing along FS Road 7101-500.

Photo Courtesy of Adventure Wenatchee

The project gives significant thought to balancing the previous unauthorized trail use in the area and developing a sustainable trail system while providing restoration benefits for the larger watershed. A section of an old legacy road will be decommissioned to provide watershed restoration benefits. 

The Number Two Canyon area is located in the Wenatchee River District, which includes some of the closest and most accessible recreational opportunities for families and outdoor enthusiasts in central Washington. The project area is located just minutes away from Wenatchee and a half hour away from Leavenworth. The steady flow of visitors is also critical to the economies of communities like Wenatchee. Visitors stop to spend money on meals, buy groceries, purchase gear, sign up for paddling, horseback riding, backpacking, mountain biking or other recreational trips, and stay overnight at hotels and vacation rentals in towns that are the gateways to our national forests.

Washington Wild works to both ensure sustainable road systems for healthy watersheds that lead to clean water and ensure access to the important recreation destinations in Washington State that make it such a unique place to live.

Read the joint comment letter here.