A crowd of about 20 people gathered in the forest near Fern Cove on Sunday for a ribbon cutting ceremony, officially opening Bill’s Trail, the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust’s newest trail. It is named after Bill Mitchell, a longtime friend and board member of the trust, who died last spring.

Mitchell lived in the Needle Creek neighborhood and donated a trail easement that made the main Shinglemill trail possible. The new trail is 1.2 miles long and connects to it, making a loop hike possible. Bill’s Trail has considerable elevation gain and loss and passes through forest that has been largely untouched over the years.

At Sunday’s gathering, which took place between periods of hard rain, Charley Rosenberry — a friend of Mitchell’s and a Land Trust board member — opened the ceremony. Mitchell’s sister, Winnie Mitchell, and her son Ben Frable also spoke. Winnie cut the ceremonial ribbon to the trail, and several people headed off on a hike through the trees.