The Latah Trail Foundation (LTF) was founded in the spring of 1998, by a handful of people with a vision for safe, non-motorized transportation and recreation along the former Moscow-Arrow rail line. The group quickly organized itself and developed a common mission as stated below.
Mission: To preserve the historic Moscow-Arrow railroad corridor for non-motorized recreational and transportation uses for Latah County, its residents and visitors, and To provide Latah County and its communities with support to provide this physical connection to their past and open an avenue for their future.
What we do: The Latah Trail Foundation initially focused on one aspect of their vision, a path between the cities of Moscow and Troy. LTF has gathered tremendous support for building this safe and scenic off-the-highway paved route that is used by pedestrians, bikers, rollerbladers, walkers, runners, wheel-chair operators, cross-country skiers and others with non-motorized transportation. The trail follows the old, eleven-mile, rail bed between the two communities. The course of the trail parallels Highway 8 until Howell Road, where it winds north through a heavily-forested area to complete the last couple miles of its journey. The Moscow-Troy trail was completed in October 2008. It is a fully paved, 10-foot wide trail. To make the Moscow-Troy trail a reality, it took the cooperation and efforts of the residents of Latah County and the Palouse. Working with neighboring landowners to meet their needs and minimize conflicts with existing land uses, such as farming, is critical and will help to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the Palouse.
In August 2009, Latah County acquired ownership of the former railroad right-of-way continuing 4 miles southeast of Troy. This 4-mile stretch of trail in beautiful Bear Creek Canyon is an unimproved rock and gravel surface suitable for mountain biking, hiking, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The new section of trail extends the total length of the non-motorized Latah Trail to 16 miles.
