A national initiative to improve access to the outdoors will focus on expanding two trails in Washington state.
President Barack Obama's Great Outdoors Initiative includes efforts to extend the Pacific Northwest Trail on the Olympic Peninsula and create a water trail along the entire length of the Columbia River through Washington.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar highlighted the two projects Monday. He says his agency soon will outline ways support the projects. Two projects were selected in each state.
The Lower Columbia River Water Trail is a paddleboat trail that currently stretches from the Bonneville Dam to the Pacific Ocean. On the Olympic Peninsula, the goal is to build out 126 miles of the Olympic Discovery Trail from La Push on the coast to Port Townsend on Puget Sound.
