At the Port of Tillamook Bay meeting on July 30th, Rockaway Beach City Manager Luke Shepard provided an update on the City’s planning for the Salmonberry Trail section, which included a request to the Port to consider a Rails to Trail concept north of the Rockaway Beach Wayside. Rockaway Beach does not request the discontinuation of the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. The rail line would remain between their rail yard south of Tillamook and Rockaway Beach. The Port of Tillamook Bay leases the rail line to OCSR, and the railroad’s lease is up for negotiation in 2026.
Here is a summary from City Manager Shepard’s report to City Council:
There has been some traffic on social media regarding the Salmonberry Trail vs. Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. Specifically, the focus appears to be centered around the potential of the Rails to Trail concept north of our Wayside. I was given the opportunity to share a presentation with the POTB Board of commissioners about some of the successes and challenges resulting from the work on our segment of Salmonberry Trail. I was very open with the board that our design work makes it clear that the Rails and Trails concept introduces many barriers to trail building when compared to a Rails to Trails design. These barriers add cost and complexity that will likely make our project a funding “longshot” at the very best. Our latest construction funding request to the Oregon Community Paths program was not awarded. If left as is (Rails & Trails), our project will likely sit in stasis for the foreseeable future, as we hunt for the necessary funds.
The barriers to trail construction presented by the Rails and Trails concept that Rockaway uncovered, no doubt exist along much of the entirety of the 82 miles of the proposed Salmonberry Trail. It is all but assured that any future trail builder will also find their trail segment equally as daunting. In many ways, real progress towards large-scale, high-quality trail construction depends on where, if at all, Rails to Trails can exist. This is a question that is bigger than Rockaway Beach. However, this has not stopped us from asking.
On July 30th, I presented a high-level potential path forward to the board members of the Port of Tillamook Bay. If the Rails to Trails concept is allowed, this would eliminate most of the barriers facing our trail project, and much more importantly, the remaining 72 miles between Rockaway and Banks. Imagine the possibilities! Regardless of the outcome, the City of Rockaway can state with assurance that it explored all possible options in its effort to deliver this trail.
Rockaway Beach is the first city to do the actual design work and costs for this length of trail*, and initial estimates put the price tag of a rails AND trails at $5 million a mile, vs. rails TO trails at $500,00 to $1 million. The City of Rockaway Beach has been working on the segments of the Salmonberry Trail that fall within the municipality’s jurisdiction since 2017, including community surveys, workshops and studies. While the City is committed to focusing on projects of importance to the community, they also must be fiscally-responsible and provide all the available options to achieve viable, successful projects.
The request is all about timing and utilizing the current planning grant to look at alternative designs. “We are at the point in the project, where we could pivot to design for alternatives, a Rails to Trails,” said City Manager Luke Shepard. “We are fully supportive of Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad and want to continue to welcome them as part of our city. We need to be sure that we are being mindful of the actual costs, permitting, engineering, environmental and other impacts of a Rails & Trails design,” he continued, “And now there is an opportunity to look at the most viable options to build a trail, instead of having a design that’s not affordable or doable and ends up on a shelf.”
Moving forward there is the larger concern of OCSR’s plans to construct a storage yard, ticketing station, and engine turn-around facility through our downtown parking lot. The negative implications for Rockaway Beach and its business community are huge. We are a tourist driven economy and this construction would substantially damage our ability to attract tourists.
For more information about Rockaway Beach’s work on the Salmonberry Trail, go to https://corb.us/salmonberry-trail/. We welcome your comments and input about the Salmonberry Trail project, email to cityhall@corb.org or https://corb.us/contact
*NOTE: The Salmonberry Trail Foundation and the City of Wheeler will build the first coast section of the trail, with a grant from Visit Tillamook Coast. The Salmonberry Trail’s Wheeler segment is a demonstration project, a 1,800-foot section of the trail, will run north from Rector Street, crossing Hemlock Street, and along the bay side of the Oregon Coast Scenic Railway tracks adjacent to Botts Marsh.
Here’s more information about STF’s Salmonberry Trail Coast Segment Planning Study