The Washington County Visitors Association (WCVA) this week announced a $200,000 grant to the Salmonberry Trail. Funds will be used to assist with detailed planning and engineering field study work that will lead to construction of a 20-mile segment of the 80-mile rail-trail in the Banks area of western Washington County where the trail will connect with the Banks-Vernonia State Trail and recreation developments in Stub Stewart State Park and in the Tillamook State Forest.

“The Salmonberry Trail is poised to become a major tourism attraction offering all the best of western Oregon,” said WCVA President Carolyn McCormick. “The visitors association is pleased to be in a position to help this signature project move forward.” Project funding is made possible through transient lodging tax funds generated in Washington County.

The Salmonberry Trail is Oregon’s most ambitious rail-trail project linking the northern Willamette Valley and the Oregon Coast. Once complete, the trail will travel over 30 historic bridges and trestles, through nine tunnels and a variety of forest, field and coastal environments.

The WCVA is a non-profit destination marketing organization, which serves the region’s tourism industry by actively promoting Oregon’s Washington County to business and leisure travelers, sports and event planners, meeting planners and group tour operators as a desired travel destination. The WCVA is funded by a 2.33 percentage of transient lodging tax generated in Washington County. Washington County markets the destination as The Tualatin Valley.