State officials and park rangers officially dedicated a 15-mile section of the Columbia Plateau Trail near Ice Harbor Dam Tuesday. The segment is part of a cross state trail system that follows an abandoned railroad right-of-way from Franklin County northeast to Fish Lake near Cheney. Rex Derr, director of the state Parks and Recreation Commission, said the newly reworked section of trail fits perfectly with amenities along the Snake River, providing walking and biking access to several day use and wildlife areas between the dam and the Snake River Junction. Derr said Washington's trail system is being completed in preparation for the park and recreation commission's 100th anniversary in 2013.
tricityherald.com/Richard Dickin and John Trumbo