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Best of Tacoma 2016: Cushman Trail

Best Bike Lane

The Cushman Trail truly is something special. Photo credit: Jackson Hogan

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Cushman runs for over six miles through Gig Harbor, from the very south end by the Narrows Bridge, all the way up to the north point of Gig Harbor on Borgen Boulevard. Unlike many "trails," Cushman is completely paved, and even has a dividing line, making it essentially a regular street, just scaled-down and with no cars. While one might assume that the path was another brilliant idea from the city of Gig Harbor, who've cultivated the ideal small-town atmosphere, it was actually a joint effort.

Trent Ward, a senior engineer for Gig Harbor's Public Works department, says that originally, the Cushman Trail was created by Pierce County Parks and Recreation. According to Ward, the county eventually ran short on funding after paving four miles, so Gig Harbor's own government used the county's plans to finish up the last two miles or so, after some modifications for greater accessibility.

Ward also mentions that Cushman has not only helped the south Peninsula stay fit, but it has also brought the community together.

"If you go out and walk it, or run it, or bike it, you'll see that it's a very popular trail," Ward said. "In fact, it's an inter-community trail, so it even connects to a trail system in Tacoma."

Ward isn't wrong: after crossing the Narrows Bridge, bikers or runners will come out on the Scott Pierson Trail, opening up even more miles of exercise. Of course, the city plans to team up with other nearby communities and hopefully extend Cushman even further than it was originally planned.

"People are asking us, ‘when are you going to extend it further?' We're studying right now ways to get the trail up to Purdy, somehow cross highway 16, and then Kitsap County is engaging with us as well, to look at furthering the trail," Ward said. "Ultimately, Cushman trail, in the grandiose scale of things, is meant to reach the Cushman dam, which is actually out in Hood Canal, maybe in 150 years or so. That's the dream!"

So although it might take a while for it to travel the 56 miles up to the Cushman dam, for now, the Cushman trail is the ultimate place to take your family or friends for some exercise nearby.

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