Paved Trail Advised For Tubbs Hill Study Also Urges Better Access For Disabled

A three-month study seeking to improve Tubbs Hill suggests paving a trail on the backside of McEuen Field to link both the east and west trailheads.

The study, funded by $20,000 from the Hagadone Corporation, was presented Tuesday night to the Coeur d’Alene Parks and Recreation Commission. The civil engineering firm, Adams and Clark of Post Falls, completed the study. Fred Ogram, the firm’s senior landscape architect, presented the ideas for improving the 2.01 miles of trail on 120 acres of Tubbs Hill.

The natural park, named after early developer Tony A. Tubbs, gives emergency crews fits when someone gets hurt. The hill also faces problems with erosion and residents who create trails of their own.

The commission asked Hagadone to fund the study to seek ways to preserve the hill’s natural beauty, while solving problems with the trail.

In an exhaustive study, Ogram gave 29 percent of the trail a class three, or extremely difficult, rating because it’s either too steep, too narrow, too slanted or a combination of those factors to allow all people to enjoy the hill.

Only 15 percent of the trail is class one, or fully accessible, he said.

Ogram’s study suggests that city leaders endorse three major changes to make the Lake City’s natural park more usable for the elderly and persons with disabilities: Create a paved trail that complies fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act from the 3rd Street entrance, leading behind the ball diamond fences on McEuen Field, to the paved Young and 8th streets that continue to the east Tubbs Hill entrance.

Take steps necessary to make the 2.01-mile main loop of the trail a class two, or challenging, designation to connect both main trailheads.

Build more accessible, natural walkways to both trailheads to allow persons with disabilities to experience views on the hill.

The first entrance bypass would create a more gradual incline to the first view vista overlooking the 3rd Street boat launch.

The second entrance bypass would cut a gradually ascending, new trail on the east side of the hill to provide a fully accessible trail all the way to the southeast tip of Tubbs Hill.

Other features include installing half a dozen signs to help keep hikers on the main trail; create better walkways to established beaches, and a kiosk on the southwest tip of the hill.

Commission member Mike McDowell said the goal of the effort is to enhance the trails while keeping the hill in its natural state.

“How do we keep those two goals from colliding?” he asked Ogram.

“With a soft-touch approach,” Ogram answered. He explained that the plan does not call for removing rocks from the uneven or steep stretches of trail.

Instead, wooden trails can be built over the uneven rock to provide an easier walking surface.

Also, in places where the trail is not level, crews could use existing downed trees to build what’s called crib walls.

In those cases, crews would stack timbers and anchor them to the low side of the trail. They would then backfill the trail with gravel and other natural material to create a level trail that is resistant to erosion.

Doug Eastwood, the city’s parks director, wants residents to give their opinions on the study before presenting it to the City Council.

The city has designated $20,000 from annexation fees to use if the study determines that parts of the hill can be improved without hurting its integrity, he said.

But Eastwood said most of the money must come from private fund raisers.

“Can it be done without showing significant intrusion to the hill?” Eastwood asked. “Let’s get the public input on this.”