Camas ‘Trails to Tables Challenge’ deadline extended

Organizers say heavy rains prevented people from finishing the challenge, which encourages residents to hike Camas trails and dine at downtown eateries; new end date is July 31

By Kelly Moyer
July 14, 2022 1:49 pm
Latest News, Life, News

A hiker and their dog walk along the Washougal River Greenway trail in Camas. (Contributed photo courtesy of The Columbian)

Did you know there are still a couple more weeks to complete the 2022 Trails to Tables Challenge in Camas?

The event sponsored by the Camas Parks and Recreation Department and Downtown Camas Association (DCA) was supposed to run for two months in May and June, but organizers decided to extend the deadline to July 31, after realizing the weather was having an unexpected impact on the second annual Trails to Tables Challenge.

“The rainy, cold spring kept people from getting to the trails … plus, one of the trails was under water much of the time,” said DCA Director Carrie Schulstad.

The challenge is meant to bring more awareness to Camas’ trails and downtown eateries, with participants visiting five different trails and dining at at least five downtown participating restaurants.

Once participants have logged their trail and restaurant visits on their Trails to Tables passport — available at Caffe Piccolo, Papermake Pride and the Camas Public Library, as well as online at downtowncamas.com/trailstotables — they can bring it to Papermaker Pride, located at 339 N.E. Fourth Ave., in downtown Camas, to get a free, custom Trails to Tables glass and be entered to win a downtown Camas prize basket worth $250.

Schulstad said this week that Papermaker Pride still has plenty of glasses left for those who complete the challenge.

The city’s 2021 Trail to Tables Challenge had 131 participants. Schulstad said, so far, a little more than 500 people have picked up passports, but only 58 have turned them in for a chance to win the $250 prize basket.

Those who have participated in the challenge have said they love finding something new that they hadn’t tried before, Schulstad added.

“Mostly, (the participants) are locals looking to explore and support downtown,” she added.

The Camas trails featured in the 2022 Trails to Tables Challenge include: Heritage trail, the Round Lake Loop in Lacamas Park, the downtown Camas Bronze Birds Trail, the Washougal River Greenway and the Port of Camas-Washougal Waterfront Trail. The Trails to Table passport has questions about each of the five trails for hikers to answer, such as: “Who is the Washougal River Greenway Bridge dedicated to?” and “Who built the life-vest cabinet located at the non-motorized boat launch at the beginning of the (Port of Camas-Washougal Waterfront) trail?”

Participating downtown Camas restaurants include:

A Beer at a Time, 216 N.E. Third Ave.
Birch Street Uptown Lounge, 311 N.E. Birch St.
Caffe Piccolo, 400 N.E. Fourth Ave.
Camas Slices, 339 N.E. Cedar St. (at the corner of Cedar and Fourth Avenue)
Caps N’ Taps, 337 N.E. Fourth Ave.
Cedar Street Bagel Co., 316 N.E. Cedar St.
Dairy Queen, 435 N.E. Third Ave.
Feast At 316, 316 N.E. Dallas St.
Grains of Wrath, 230 N.E. Fifth Ave.
Hidden River Roasters, 536 N.E. Fifth Ave.
Kop Chai Thai Restaurant, 325 N.E. Cedar St.
Nuestra Mesa, 228 N.E. Fourth Ave.
Natalia’s Cafe and Natalia’s Malt Shop, 437 N.E. Fourth Ave.
Salud, 224 N.E. Third Ave.
Squeeze and Grind, 537 N.E. Cedar St.
Tommy O’s at The Camas Hotel, 401 N.E. Fourth Ave.
truly scrumptious, 231 N.E. Fourth Ave.

More details can be found online at downtowncamas.com/trailstotables.

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