Leadbetter Walk & Roll planned

The city of Camas has a clear vision for the twisty, two-lane Northeast Leadbetter Road that hugs Lacamas Lake’s northeast shoreline. Eventually, the city will close Leadbetter and incorporate most of the road into a trail encircling the lake.

It’s a vision that excites Chris Witkowski, the city’s new parks director.

“I’m a big runner and have been a cyclist pretty much my whole life, so when I came here for an interview, I was driving around the city and drove up Leadbetter,” Witkowski said. “I thought, ‘This is an amazing road with an amazing view of the lake.’ But there is no shoulder and it’s a curvy road, a high-speed road, and I’m not comfortable walking or running on it.”

Guessing that he isn’t alone in his desire to enjoy Leadbetter Road at a more leisurely pace, Witkowski has created a community event that would allow residents to walk or bike the road without fearing for their lives.

The inaugural Leadbetter Walk & Roll event will close a 1-mile stretch of Northeast Leadbetter Road to motorized vehicles, from the boat launch and parking lot (581 N.E. Leadbetter Road) to Camp Currie (618 N.E. 232nd Ave.), from 1-4 p.m. Sept. 14.

“I thought this would be fantastic to have a couple hours of a car-free road,” Witkowski said. “We can give people a taste of what it will be like when we develop the North Shore trail.”

When Witkowski pitched the event to the city’s parks commission, a few commissioners urged him to add some extra amenities, such as food carts or something that might raise funds for the local parks foundation.

Witkowski, however, wanted to keep it simple, at least for the event’s first year.

“The vision is for people to be able to walk or bike and to just experience nature,” he said. “I’m sure there are people who are reluctant to use (the road) now because of traffic, so let’s get those folks out there.”

The parks director is open to expanding the event in the future.

“If this is something we continue down the road, maybe as an annual or semi-annual event, maybe we can consider doing more,” Witkowski said.

The event will give community members a chance to admire some of Camas’ Legacy Lands properties included in plans for a future 165-acre regional park, including the historic Leadbetter House and a 55-acre site known as the Rose property. The Leadbetter House has renters, so people will not be able to roam that site, but Witkowski said the road closure will give them a rare chance to view the outside of the historic home from a few feet away instead of glancing at it from a vehicle whizzing by at 55 mph.

The Leadbetter Walk & Roll will be free and open to the public, although registration may be required. Parking will be available in the city’s gravel lot near the boat launch, on the south end of the road closure.

Kelly Moyer: 360-735-4674; kelly.moyer@columbian.com