HORSEPLAY: The story of how Robin Hill Park came to be

“WANNA MEET ME for a ride at Robin Hill Park?” I think 2007 was the first time I was asked to join a group of horse-owning friends to ride with them through Robin Hill Farm County Park in Agnew. Did I load Coyote, April or Lacey into my horse trailer to ride the trail? I wish I could remember which of my beloved horses I took, but I vividly recall the group meandering through a trail lined with new wood-chips through a forest of tall, 80-year-old Douglas trees that opened up to a beautiful, large expanse of green pasture.

Today, the multi-use trail system within 195 acres —110 acres of forest, 20 acres of open grass pasture and 5 acres of wetlands, with approximately 3.4 miles of developed foot trails and 4 miles of equestrian trails — is like a prized jewel nestled within Clallam County. A major plus? The Olympic Discovery Trail runs along one edge. Equestrians can park their rigs in the park’s main entrance off Dryke Road (located a quarter-mile north of U.S. Highway 101). A secondary entrance is located to the northeast off Pinnell Road, near the junction of Vautier Road. Its lot isn’t large enough for horse trailers.

But how did the park come to be? I moved to Sequim in July 1997 when equestrian Martha Ireland served as a county commissioner (she served from 1996-1999). Back then, there was no Robin Hill Park, and Highway 101 ran through main street Sequim and Old Olympic Highway. No giant box stores, either. Oh, I loved its small-town feel!

When Ireland served as country commissioner for District 1, she said real estate agent Mark McHugh approached her to talk about his client Robert McCool, who was nearing the end of his life and looking into selling the property (appraised for more than $2 million). He wanted to sell it for half its value, because he didn’t want the land developed, but wished it to be a rural park.

“McCool said he wanted the million dollars to donate to the United Way to have it set up an endowment fund,” Ireland said. “At the county level, we found we could get a state recreation grant for half of that. So, it cost the county only half a million dollars to purchase.”

The McCools referred to their property as Robin Hill and requested it retain the name in honor of his late wife, Robin. The deal included he could live there in his home until he died.

“When all the paperwork was done and everything was signed, Mr. McCool went to bed one night in his own house there on the property, fell asleep, and in the morning, he was gone,” Ireland said.

I’m sure he’d be delighted to see how beautiful the land remains to this day. The Ireland farm is located near the new park. In prior years, she able to ride part of the land through a neighbor’s property.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is having it stated in the county’s purchase that neighboring properties abutting the boundary line could build their own gate to access the park any time, without having to drive around to the entrances,” she said.

“The gentleman who owned the property at the end of Davenhill Lane agreed to have a neighborhood gate, and that’s how I’m able to access the property,” Ireland said.

For years, she kept the trail from Davenhill to a nearby equestrian trail clear and well-maintained. As she aged and developed some health issues she stopped riding and maintaining the trail. And now, she no longer owns a horse to ride. Last year, when she went to walk her dog through Robin Hill, she was blocked by a large growth of mini-rose bushes. At her age, she was no longer capable of clearing it away, so she approached old friends in the Peninsula Chapter for help. She also spoke to Donald Crawford, Clallam County’s director of parks, about building a new additional looping trail, a portion adjacent to Davenhill Lane that spurred off an existing equestrian trail.

Both Crawford and the Peninsula Chapter members were excited to make it happen. In early May 2024, Crawford gave the chapter the go-ahead.

Ireland said the park is “very popular with front country trail riders” and those who are starting a young horse or want a short trail ride that does not require a long drive, so the chapter was excited to build about a three-quarter-mile “loop” that travels along the eastern side of the park, near the trailhead on the south end, to meet existing trails near the wetland on the north end.

The first step was to “flag” a possible route for the new trail. Donna and her husband Jim took on the task of beating through brush and 4-foot-tall nettles, using a phone app to try to stay within the park boundaries. She said much of the trail crosses high ground under large trees, and “that part was easy — just a bunch of logs to step over and around!”

The difficulty was in finding a way around a small creek drainage to avoid mud and areas that were too steep.

It took three days, back-tracking several times, to find a suitable route. Early in July, once the route was evaluated and approved by others, members spent three days “brushing” a wider path with a chainsaw, cutting up and removing downed logs, and cutting and removing several large dead standing trees along the path to make the trail safe.

At the end of July, member Dan Dosey brought his small dozer and spent one day clearing the path to a 7-foot-wide corridor. That included moving enough dirt to create a switchback to lessen the steepness along one stretch of trail. Jim worked with a chain saw along with the dozer to clear hazards encountered along the way. In mid-August, a small excavator was rented and Dosey spent a day improving the tread along the trail route. Three places needed culverts and a turnpike built to mitigate wet areas.

Clallam County covered the expenses involved with equipment rental, culvert pipe, ground cloth and gravel. A skid-steer was rented to move some of the gravel to the necessary areas and refine the tread. Buckhorn Range chapter member Jeff Chapman brought his small tractor to help. It took a lot of effort to complete it, but mission accomplished. In honor of Martha, it’s named “Martha’s Loop.”

Earlier this month, the chapter honored Ireland for her part in creating the park, and, more recently, the loop. Member Juelie Dalzell loaned her Buckskin horse, Jack, to Ireland and the group shared a memorable ride, on a beautiful day, for a walk in the park.

Closure

Sad to say, it’s the end of an era for the Mt. Olympus Chapter of Back Country Horsemen. Started by Larry and Sherry Baysinger, the chapter focused on back country trail maintenance on the West End of the Olympic Peninsula. A potluck dinner at the Black Diamond Community Center to announce its closure is tentatively for 6:30 p.m. Dec. 17. Please RSVP if you plan to come to Sherry Baysinger, rainforestrider@gmail.com.

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Karen Griffiths’ column, Peninsula Horseplay, appears the second and fourth Saturday of each month.

If you have a horse event, clinic or seminar you would like listed, please email Griffiths at kbg@olympus.net at least two weeks in advance. You can also call her at 360-460-6299.