SNOHOMISH, Wash. — A beloved park in Snohomish County where you can hike, mountain bike and ride your horse has become increasingly popular over the past decade.
Most of the 33 miles of trails at Lord Hill Recreational Park are where you can do all three of those activities. However, with horses and hikers going slower than mountain bikers, some are concerned over accidents or worried their horses are more prone to be spooked.
"Bikes are so fast and all the other users are a different speed," said Mary Krauss, an equestrian who has been riding her horses at Lord Hill for more than 20 years.
She says she's noticed more hikers and bikers on the trails over the years and thinks having designated parts of the park for different activities would help ease her safety concerns.
"If you could keep them really separate that would be fine," she said.
The Snohomish County Parks Department has noticed more people on the trail, too. Senior planner at the department Amy Lucas attributes that to the population boom the area has seen in the last decade.
The park attracts 50,000 - 60,000 visitors a year, most being from nearby cities, like Everett, Lake Stevens, even Seattle, by people looking for a quick escape to nature.
"We really need to get a handle on the trail system so that everybody can have an enjoyable experience when they're out here," said Lucas.
Lucas says that this summer, they will be using grant money to conduct studies to understand how people are using the park.
Some improvements being considered already are clearer signage, adding better visibility to trail intersections and looking for ways to create a designated trail-use system.
On July 25, the public will be able to weigh in on two alternative plans to create a designated trail system within the park that would segregate the trail use for specific activities.
The county plans on beginning construction on the new changes next year.