[mb]

But we're not talking about a yard or garden. We're talking about a road. One which quite possibly was built at the public expense. I don't understand why the public agencies don't take a similar negotiating tactic for some of these cases: OK, we built this road to access our parcel on the other side of your property. Now that we can no longer get access, we are blocking the road before your property. Obviously the details would matter, but in the cases where people have been crossing checkerboard land, both to access private and public property, it sure would seem to be viable.

[Randito]

[Randito]

[RodF]

DNR's "Washington Trust Lands Road" brochure says:

[camut]

The road on Stimson is a private road belonging to Pilchuck Tree Farm and is identified as such by a red sign at the entrance. They are under no obligation to provide anyone access. If you want confirmation or clarification of this, you can call the PTF office 360 629-6800 and ask them directly, referencing PTF Fire Gate 13.

[treeswarper]

[chandlerhaberlack]

[altasnob]

I'm confused too. Pilchuck Tree Farm may own the road through their property. But then that road hits DNR land and DNR allows the public to briefly travel along this road until you get to the island of private property, which has a gate and a no trespass sign that has been posted by DNR, with DNR's name on it, even though the sign is not on DNR land. See map below:

[treeswarper]

Road ownership can be controversial. Gebbers Vs a road coalition

[treeswarper]

Then some new county commissioners were elected. They took action. https://methowvalleynews.com/2019/10/24/commissioners-act-to-declare-a-portion-of-french-creek-road-open-to-public/ It was back in court in 2019 but I can't find a decision. Perhaps Covid intervened?

[John_B]

TS besides the snow French Creek road is at this point still open. I believe there is an appeal in the works from Gebbers but the decision was that the road had to stay open as the appeal progressed.

[treeswarper]

John B. That's kind of what I remember reading, but couldn't find any articles on it. Thanks.

[chandlerhaberlack]

Arlight - update from DNR after I reached out about Stimson in particular

[Sculpin]

"reach out to some hiking forums" Utterly, inexcusably lame. If there is a way to correspond with the folks at the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, they might take an interest. And if that happened, and the route is indeed eligible for a prescriptive easement for public access, those barriers might very well melt away.

[altasnob]

I searched Snohomish County Auditor's online records for an easement allowing public access but those records only go back to 2004 on this particular parcel and do not answer my question. So I made a public records request to the Snohomish County Auditor. I have also made a public records request to DNR. I emailed pilchuckraorg@pilchuckra.org and received this response "I have forwarded your email to tree farm management, we will see what they say (I make no promises they are any faster than dnr)." I will probably never attempt to hike up Stimson mountain in my life, but I certainly feel entitled to the public land, just as I do for all public land. I speculate that at one point in time DNR owned this island of private property and sold or relinquished control of this property, making it private property. But whenever this was done, it would be a breach of DNR's duty to Washingtonions to not maintain the public's right to cross this private property on the road maintained by DNR to access the road above the private property, also maintained by DNR. And while DNR routinely closes roads to public vehicle access, I have never seen a situation where DNR closes access to pedestrians and bikes unless the road presents some kind of public safety threat. Hopefully, my public records request will show that DNR did not breach their duty.