Creeks Master Plan

The master plan was adopted by the City Council in 1993. It envisions a low-speed bike and hike trail through the downtown area to serve as both an alternate and an adjunct to the Iron Horse Trail. The route extends from the old railroad bridge on the Iron Horse Trail in Civic Park East to Near Court in the south and Olympic Boulevard in the west. It encourages businesses next to the creeks to take advantage of their presence with outdoor dining, overlooks, etc.

The master plan calls for extensive habitat restoration, both removal of exotics and establishment of wildlife-friendly native plants. It extends the riparian zone by planting trees that will support birds and butterflies beyond the creek banks themselves. It employs various water quality improvement measures including riffles and the removal or modification of fish-blocking drop structures in anticipation of the day when the downtown creeks could host salmon and steelhead as they did until the 1960’s, when flood control projects prevented the fish from migrating upstream as far as Walnut Creek.

Progress in implementing the master plan has been a lot slower and more difficult than anyone anticipated, but some pieces are in place.  In addition to the projects in these photos, there was an earlier large restoration in Civic Park that was largely washed out by a flood a couple of months after it was installed in 1996.

Key concepts and artist's renderings

The creek overlook on Broadway next to Maria Maria Restaurant, which also has an overlook.

The Creekwalk in Civic Park East has picnic tables where people can eat, read, or just pass the time.