RAIL TRAILS -- With the blessing of hit pop-song singer, a delightful short video that's circulating on social media is a tribute to the join of a rail trail through the sparsely populated Kettle River Valley of northeastern Washington.  Locals keep surfacing and developing the route from the Republic area to Canada, and the community effort is heartwarming.

Here's the background on the video.

The Ferry County Rail Trail Partners (FCRTP) have released a 53-second video to promote the county’s 25-mile nonmotorized rail trail. Filmed by Jesse Harding of Republic and edited by Chip Rountree of Seattle, it includes the song "Brand New Key" by the artist Melanie Safka who wrote, performed and coproduced the original song. When approached about the use of the song in the film, Melanie responded with “How cool is that! I love what you’ve done. I love what you’re doing! It’s a great way to use the song with my blessings.”

“We are thrilled at the progress we have made developing the trail.” said FCRTP President Bobby Whittaker “In the last year we have completed 12.5 miles of surfacing along the waterfront. It’s high time we start promoting what I think are the Pacific Northwest’s best kept secrets: Ferry County and its wild and wonderful rail rail trail”

The trail is in the shadow of the Kettle River Range and utilizes an old Burlington Northern Railroad corridor that runs north from the city of Republic along Curlew Lake and the Kettle River all the way to the U.S.-Canada border at Danville, WA.

This family-friendly county facility highlights the area’s cultural heritage and natural beauty, offering a fun, safe, healthy community connector as well as a first-rate outdoor recreational experience.  The trail itself connects four charming towns, two school complexes and provides 15 miles of waterfront access and open to the public seven days a week. No ticket or parking pass required.

For surface details and conditions check ferrycountyrailtrail.com as well as the FCRTP Facebook page.