Town to Zylstra Lake Shared-Use Trail

San Juan County is eager to begin developing a plan for a shared-use trail connecting the Town of Friday Harbor to the Zylstra Lake Preserve. The project is in the very early, conceptual stages of development and the public will have multiple opportunities to come together and provide feedback and input.

History

The idea for a trail to Zylstra Lake was born out of multiple planning documents, meetings, and community surveys that identified the need for “a well-planned transportation system of multi-modal trails” that “connects people to places.”

Zylstra Lake Preserve lies at the center of multiple corridors that have been identified in over two decades of the County’s Parks Trails and Natural Areas Plan, which is now called the Recreation, Open Space, and Stewardship Plan. These corridors are important opportunities to:

• Promote nonmotorized transportation
• Provide safer conditions for biking and walking
• Improve connectivity between popular sites

Funding

On December 23, 2022, Representative Rick Larsen (District 2) announced that the project would receive $5.28 million in federal funds. Earmarked from the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Spending Package, the funds support transportation-related Member Designated Projects that benefit the communities they serve, are generally supported by local elected officials, are enumerated in adopted plans, and encompass a feasible and achievable timeline.

Get Involved

Use this page to follow project progress, add your questions and ideas, and track important dates. The tools below allow community members to provide feedback along the way. To participate, make sure you're registered in the "Engage San Juan County" platform.