The Karen Fraser Woodland Trail is a paved rail trail in Thurston County, Washington that connects the cities of Olympia and Lacey along the abandoned Burlington Northern corridor. The trail opened in 2007 and connects with the Chehalis Western Trail at the border between the two cities. The Olympia trailhead features a sustainably designed shelter and restroom with a living roof and a rain garden and parts of the trail run alongside Indian Creek.
At the beginning trailhead at Watershed Park, the Karen Fraser Woodland Trail heads east, briefly following Interstate 5 and Indian Creek before crossing the Olympia border into the city of Lacey. The trail crosses the Chehalis Western Trail at a roundabout connection named Hub Junction. The trail continues on an easterly course past the Lacey Depot, a picnic and trained-themed playground area. A pedestrian bridge off the trail allows access to Woodland Creek Community Park near Long Lake; the Karen Fraser pathway terminates shortly thereafter.
In September 2016, a biking and hiking trail from the Indian Creek neighborhood at Fairview Street was connected to the Karen Fraser Woodland Trail. The effort was undertaken by the Indian Creek Neighborhood Association and Olympia's Neighborhood Pathways Program.
During a seven-month study between 2015 and 2016, over 57,000 combined bicyclists and walkers had used the trail.
Future phases will extend the trail west through Watershed Park, crossing the Deschutes River, and ending at Tumwater Falls. The future Deschutes Valley Trail will start at Tumwater Falls and continue the trail to Pioneer Park.
In 1990, Olympia residents Jim and Carol Rainwood suggested the creation of the trail and formed the Woodland Trail Greenway Association {WTGA) who contributed time and resources to trail development. Their work resulted in the creation of the Olympia Woodland Trail and the Lacey Woodland Trail. The WTGA, during the first phases of paving the trail in 2006, donated $3,000 and guaranteed 200 hours of labor for the project.
The city of Lacey began to obtain rail lines from Burlington Northern and Georgia-Pacific between 2002 and 2005. An agreement was made by Lacey and Georgia-Pacific, who were the sole users of the rail line, not to challenge the attempt to consider the track as abandoned as part of a federal railbanking program. In conjunction with Olympia, both cities had acquired by 2004. Paving of the first section started at Sleater-Kinney in 2006 with funding for the project furnished in part by a $229,000 state grant. Over an additional $600,000 was provided by the city of Lacey and the Thurston Regional Planning Council.
The last bridge for the Chehalis Western Trail, part of a larger project known as "Bridging the Gap", was completed in December 2014. The span marked the final step in connecting the Chehalis Western to the Olympia Woodland Trail. At the crossing is a bicycle traffic circle and plaza known as Hub Junction. Dedicated in March 2016, the roundabout is considered to have been the first such of its type in the state. In October 2017, the two trails were renamed with a single name to honor State Senator Karen Fraser who previously represented the area and was, in 1976, the first female mayor of Lacey.
A pair of ten-foot cedar wood carvings, created by an artist of the Squaxin Island Tribe, were installed at the Watershed trailhead in 2021 after an arts initiative begun by the city of Olympia. A commemoration marker to honor a local couple for their civil rights work was installed on the trail at Goose Pond in 2022.
A glass mosaic portrait, titled, Cultivating the Future, is installed at Woodland Community Park. The artwork portrays Nat and Thelma Jackson, a married couple noted for their service to the community. The mosaic was created by artist, Jennifer Kuhns, recognized for her work at Olympia's Artesian Commons.
Three historical markers regarding the Lacey Plywood Plant, Lacey Rotary Club, and the Lacey Train Depot are located next to the trail at the train station.