Join the WALKING TOUR in Wallowa!

One Monday, May 6th, the engineering team leading refinement planning will be in the City of Wallowa to meet with students and then host a WALKING TOUR of the future trail section.

Join the Walking Tour from 4:30 - 6 p.m. to see where the Pocket Park Trailhead will be located, where the in-city trail section will run, and how it will connect to the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland. A railbike will be available, too.

Gather at the intersection of S. Storie St. & E. 4th St. in Wallowa. ALL ARE WELCOME. And please RSVP HERE: info@josephbranchtrail.org.

PROJECT OVERVIEW
In partnership with the City of Wallowa, Wallowa County, Oregon Dept. of Transportation, and Wallowa Union Railroad Authority, the Joseph Branch Trail Consortium is developing a Refinement Plan for the 15+ mile Minam-to-Wallowa segment of the Joseph Branch Trail. This segment is part of a longer, proposed 63-mile trail-with-rail linking communities throughout Union and Wallowa Counties. The Refinement Plan will address alignment, safety, concept design features, crossings/connections, materials, adjacent landowner concerns, and be tailored to fit within the existing Wallowa Union Railroad Authority right-of-way and contiguous public lands. The Refinement Plan will also include design work for a trailhead/pocket park in the community of Wallowa, with pathway connections to the nearby Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland site. This Plan builds on the momentum created with construction of first section of trail in Elgin, which is currently underway.

BENEFITS
The overarching goal is to develop a 63-mile rail-with-trail corridor between Elgin and Joseph. This project will provide an array of opportunities for people living, working and visiting local communities along the corridor. These benefits include:

• Increased access and mobility choices alternative to Highway 82.

• Additional recreational opportunities and healthy travel options.

• More access to regional arts and cultural heritage programs.  

• Allows the public to connect to the iconic working landscape, magnificent mountain ranges and river valleys, with increased river access.

• Expands tourism for all individuals from inside and outside the region.

• Increased community development by supporting small businesses.

• Strengthens partnerships among the participating agencies and organizations.

LOCATION MAP GRAPHIC (see below)
The study area for this Refinement Plan starts at the eastern Wallowa city limits, connects through downtown Wallowa, and includes the railroad corridor and contiguous public lands for 15+ miles west to the community of Minam (at the confluence of the Wallowa and Minam rivers). The project area also includes a future pocket park trailhead on Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland property near Storie Street in the community of Wallowa.

About the Wallowa Pocket Park Trailhead and Funding

The Joseph Branch Trail Consortium (JBTC) is working with the City of Wallowa and the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland project to collaboratively establish a trailhead and a 1.08-mile trail section in this beautiful, rural community. The trailhead will also serve as a pocket park for both residents and visitors. Located near a foot bridge over the Wallowa River that leads to the 320-acre Homeland Project site, the trailhead will enhance access to an existing 3-mile hiking trail up Tick Hill, which offers stunning views of the land originally inhabited by the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) People and the town of Wallowa.

JBTC has received several grants to support development of the trail and pocket park trailhead in Wallowa: A $190,000 ODOT TGM grant is funding refinement planning on the Minam-to-Wallowa section of the trail, including the 1.08-mile, in-town trail section. A grant from the Roundhouse Foundation is funding amenities along the in-town trail section. A grant from Travel Oregon will fund construction of the project’s second pocket park trailhead starting in summer 2024 (the project’s first trailhead is located in Elgin, Oregon). And a grant from the Wallowa Country Cultural Trust Coalition will help fund interpretive signage.