South Prairie to Buckley

The main section of the Foothills Trail begins in East Puyallup ends in the City of Buckley. There are two gaps in the trail between South Prairie and Buckley, both unfinished sections will be constructed by the end of 2017.

South Prairie to Buckley


This trail section extends from South Prairie Creek in the Town of South Prairie to Buckley. The main stem now stops at South Prairie, about three miles short of its planned end point on the edge of Buckley. When complete of the trail will extend from Puyallup to the long awaited connection to the Town of Buckley.

Phase 1 construction began on June 15, 2008, by adding another mile section of the trail from South Prairie that includes two pedestrian bridges. The bridges will cross South Prairie Creek and Lower Burnett road and will carry the bike path from South Prairie to Buckley.
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Phase 2 Construction Project will begin the summer of 2016 and involves paving an existing section of trail, just south of Buckley, bringing the Foothills Trail closer towards completing the connection with South Prairie. This Foothills Trail section provides the safety of a separated non-motorized corridor as it parallels two very busy state highways with minimal shoulders. It also enhances the aesthetic aspects of the non-motorized travel experience as it gradually climbs from the Orting valley through forests, along a stream corridor, and next to wetlands to the Cascade Foothills in Buckley.
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The last phase of trail construction between Buckley and South Prairie, Phase 3, will start next summer and be completed by the end of 2017.

The South Prairie Trailhead


The South Prairie Trail trailhead will have parking for 20 vehicles, plus an information kiosk and a sani-can enclosure. This section of the Foothills Trail will eventually link with the towns of Buckley to the east and Orting to the west.
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Parking and Trail Access


To reach the South Prairie trailhead, from the intersection of SR 167 and SR 410 near Sumner, follow SR 410 east. After 5.7 miles, turn right onto S. Prairie Road E. In 4.1 miles, turn right onto Pioneer Way E and look for the South Prairie trailhead sign.

GPS Coordinates


  • y 662756.6608 Longitude - 122.09349
  • x 1243877.22727 Latitude - 47.13974

The Lower Burnett Trestle


This section of the Foothills Trail is a 150 foot span across South Prairie Creek about one mile east of South Prairie. The original railroad trestle in this location was removed in 1983. This new bridge was made possible by the combined resources of several different agencies. The Foothills Rails-to-Trail Coalition purchased and fabricated most of the necessary materials.
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