The Anacortes Rotary Club has been hard at work with community volunteers and the City of Anacortes Parks Department to fix up the trail to the top of Cap Sante.

It will open its new and improved trail at an “outdoor recreation fest” starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 11. The event will feature other groups, including the Friends of the Forest, the Old Anacortes Rowing and Sailing Society, Anacortes Waterfront Alliance, the Fidalgo Pool and the disc golf community.

The event will also feature guided trail walks and a “poker run” leading walks around downtown Anacortes.

It is part of the Rotary club’s 100th anniversary, which it is celebrating in 2022.

“Our goal is a trail route that is accessible and safe, using the existing pathways,” Anacortes Rotary President Dan Worra said in a press release from the club. “This project celebrates the spirit and one-hundred-year history of Rotary in Anacortes by providing recreational amenities for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike.”

The new trail includes directional trail signs and informational kiosks and an updated entry, which is just south of the Anacortes Yacht Club.

A key point to the trail project is encouraging walkers to use the direct path to the top in place of the road, Rotary project chairman Tom Decker said in the release. The new trail should help with pedestrian safety, keep them out of the nearby neighborhoods and keeping hikers off steep, eroding informal trails in the area, according to the release.

“Our ultimate plan is to help restore some of the park’s unofficial trails to a natural state by renewing native vegetation and discouraging use,” Decker said in the release.

The club has raised more than $220,000 for the project from club members and grants. It will continue to raise money.

“Our goal is improved outdoor spaces for people with easy walking links to downtown,” Decker said. “We are looking at environmentally sensitive ways to provide more public enjoyment. The goal is enrichment of the park experience for every member of the family, from kids to grandparents.”