MALDEN, Wash. – Five years after a fire destroyed much of Malden and Pine City in Washington’s Whitman County, bridges along a trail that stretches more than 250 miles and runs through the towns remain charred and unusable.
For the past two years, Washington State Parks has been working to restore sections of the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, formerly known as the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, impacted by the Babb Road fire.
Brian Patnode, Washington State Parks’ east region capital manager, said the agency received more than $2 million through a grant from the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, along with additional Federal Emergency Management Agency funds, to improve about 5 miles of the trail between Malden and Kenova. The project will restore three trestles that were burned by the fire.
He said plans also include upgrading the trail surface, reinstating drainage, fireproofing the trestles and creating trailhead access across Kenova.
“We’re in the process of designing it right now, and we’re hopeful to be out to bid in January of 2027, with construction complete around March of 2028,” Patnode said.
The trail is known as the state’s longest and narrowest state park. Today, it’s popular for biking, walking and horseback riding.
For longtime residents, though, it carries different memories. Malden resident Todd Deckard recalls when the route was the track better known as the Milwaukee Road and was used by the Chicago , Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway and the Pacific Railroad Co. He said he and a few others in town would bring bags of ice to people who hopped off the train before catching the next one.
Deckard explained the ice was so passengers could replace the old bags in their coolers.
“After, you would take your bicycle and ride around town and you pull in somebody’s carport, driveway, whatever, and you’d sit and listen to the old-timers,” Deckard said.
According to the Washington State Parks website, the Malden to Kenova project is about 30% complete in the design phase, with plans to hold an in-person meeting for public input.
Patnode said the agency finished another grant-funded project for the trail from Malden to Rosalia in February 2024. The $1.7 million project restored two trestles and upgraded the surface on 9 miles of trail.
“We’re looking forward to completing the design, applying for permits and getting this project completed for everyone to use,” Patnode said.
