Advocacy in the Blog

Current issues affecting trails and hikers.

The latest news and wins on issues impacting hikers and public lands. Stay in the loop by signing up for Trail Action Network today!

Three proud moments in WTA’s work for wilderness areas

Jul 03, 2024

July 3, 2024 was the 40th anniversary of the Washington State Wilderness Act, which created 18 wilderness areas — and expanded 3 wilderness areas — in our state. WTA has been working in, and for, wilderness areas for decades.

Olympic National Park seeks hiker feedback on new overnight permit limits for Enchanted Valley

Jun 07, 2024

This summer, for the first time, Olympic National Park will have a limit on overnight camping in the Enchanted Valley. This is a pilot project and park staff want to hear from hikers about this new quota system and how it impacts your outdoor experience.

No Child Left Inside gets more kids outdoors than ever

May 28, 2024

WTA and our partners — Youth Experiential Training Institute, The Wilderness Society and others — succeeded in securing No Child Left Inside's highest level of funding to date from the state legislature. This investment of $7 million for grants from 2023-2025 is now funding 92 programs around the state, supporting tens of thousands of Washington’s youth in getting outdoors.

Hiker Headlines: Trailhead Direct is back, it's backcountry overnight permit season, Mount St. Helens trail closures

May 16, 2024

Trailhead Direct is starting back up again for the hiking season — and bringing back some routes! The backcountry overnight permit seasons for North Cascades National Park and the Enchantments are starting. And there are some funding wins to celebrate this week.

5 ways to connect with WTA this spring

Apr 18, 2024

Check out these tips and tricks to connect with trails this spring. By Nicole Masih-Théberge

Washington’s best-kept secret for funding the outdoors just got better

Mar 18, 2024

You may have never heard of Washington state’s Recreation Conservation Office (RCO), but for the past 60 years it has been protecting and improving our state’s outdoors. To help ecosystems and communities thrive, RCO invests in projects that protect lands and develop parks and trails. This spring, RCO is taking a new equity-focused approach to their grantmaking, so this best-kept secret just keeps getting better.

Hiker Headlines: Free day, Trails and Ales, legislative wins, warm weekend weather

Mar 14, 2024

Next Tuesday, March 19, is Washington State Parks’ birthday and parking fees will be waived in some areas. Put Trails and Ales with WTA and the annual Washington Coastal Cleanup on your calendars. We’re excited for some wins from the 2024 state legislative session, and we’re also excited that spring is here!

Wins for trails: Legislature funds forest conservation and work with tribes

Mar 12, 2024

Each year, WTA works with hikers like you, partner organizations and lawmakers during the state legislative session to get trails and public lands the funding they need. The 2024 state legislative session ended on March 7 with good news for trails and public lands. Nearly every priority that WTA was supporting ended up funded in the final state budget.

Hikers helped win funding that’s fixing Washington state’s longest trail

Feb 28, 2024

Two years ago, hikers like you helped secure a huge win for public lands in Washington state: $15 million of annual funding to tackle the recreation maintenance backlog on our state lands. Ever since, that funding has been improving trails, roads, bathrooms, campgrounds and more. We like to celebrate those wins, including recent work on the Palouse to Cascades Trail.

WTA visits Washington, D.C., to ask for the funding trails and hikers need

Feb 20, 2024

WTA is advocating for Congress to pass the Transit to Trails Act, which would create a federal grant program to fund more public transportation to trailheads. More than 1,640 people have signed a WTA petition to express their support for this bill. Michael Decramer, WTA’s policy and planning manager, traveled to Washington, D.C., last week to deliver those petition signatures and to participate in the 27th annual Hike the Hill.

8 ways hikers are benefitting from critical federal funding

Feb 07, 2024

WTA was thrilled in 2020 when we rallied our hiking community and joined with partners to help pass the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). Here’s some of the work that the GAOA has supported in Washington state, from 2021 through 2023, to help support millions of outdoor experiences.

What you need to know to visit Mount Rainier National Park this summer

Jan 24, 2024

Mount Rainier National Park recently announced that reservations will be required for entrance to the park for those driving through the Nisqually, Stevens Canyon and White River entrances during the spring and summer of 2024.

Thank you land managers, for making 2023 a great year

Jan 03, 2024

2023 was the 30th anniversary of our trail maintenance program, and we got a lot of work done, thanks to our rich partnerships with dozens of land managers across the state. We are so grateful for the support provided by our agency partners. Here are some highlights from 2023!

WDFW plans 10 years into the future, starting with mule deer in the Methow

Jan 17, 2024

Balancing conservation and access is a process that requires intention. WDFW’s 10-year Recreation Strategy brings a new focus on recreation to their decisions about WDFW lands. One example of that is the work to protect mule deer in the Methow.

WTA's Goals for the State Legislature — and How You Can Help

Jan 09, 2024

Washington state’s legislative session – this year Jan. 8 through March 7 – is an important time for trail advocates like you to speak up in support of public lands and trails as legislators work to prioritize funding and policies for the state. This legislative session, WTA is supporting state land managers’ – Washington State Parks, Department of Natural Resources and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife — funding requests so that they are able to provide high quality recreational experiences on their lands.

DNR wants your input to plan the next 10 years for their lands

Jan 08, 2024

Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites you to public meetings in person on Jan. 18 or 23 or online on Feb. 1 or 6 to share your thoughts as the agency develops their Outdoor Access and Responsible Recreation Strategic Plan. This will be DNR’s first statewide plan for recreation, and public input will help shape the plan.

Hiker Headlines: Mountain Loop Highway Closed, WTA is Hiring, Pacific Northwest Trail Plan Released

Dec 14, 2023

WTA is currently hiring for a couple of seasonal positions and one permanent position. Be aware of some road closures that might affect your hiking plans. A portion of the Methow Valley Wildlife Area is closing temporarily to protect the mule deer population. And the Forest Service has released its Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail comprehensive plan.

New Trails for the Teanaway Community Forest

Nov 14, 2023

We’re excited to start trail work in the Teanaway Community Forest — thanks to years of collaboration and careful planning.

A Vision for the Future of the South Mountain Loop Highway

Nov 13, 2023

After 5 years of work, WTA and a cadre of regional experts have completed the south Mountain Loop Highway Trails Vision. This report sets out a vision for the future of this beloved recreation area that is within a one hour drive to 4 million people. It makes suggestions for maintaining key access roads, increasing wheelchair-friendly trail options, maintaining currently inaccessible trails and more.

The Plans for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the North Cascades

Nov 09, 2023

The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released a Draft Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan/Environmental Impact Statement with different strategies for recovering this keystone species in the North Cascades Ecosystem. You can read the draft restoration plan and make public comment by the deadline of Nov. 13, 2023.

Index-Galena Road Reopens After 17 Years

Nov 07, 2023

Major flooding washed out the road in 2016. On a drenching November morning, the road reopened, restoring access to popular trails in the Wild Sky Wilderness.

Your Vote in Action: King County Parks Levy

Oct 02, 2023

We look in at the midway point of the King County Parks Levy to check on the trails built and the work accomplished by its funding.

A Washington hiker’s guide to the 2025 federal shutdown

Oct 01, 2025

As national parks, national forests and wildlife refuge operations shutdown and federal employees are furloughed, here's how hikers can still recreate responsibly across the state.

Hiker Headlines: Emerging Leaders Program Hiring, Breaking Ground on New Trail, Mount Rainier Road Closures

Sep 28, 2023

WTA is hiring for its next Emerging Leaders Program cohort! We’re excited to have started work on a new trail in Whatcom County. Some new funding come to Pacific Northwest urban forests and communities. You'll want to plan around some road closures that might affect your upcoming hikes, as well as some upcoming prescribed burns near Trout Lake. And we’re starting to see some snow in the high country!

Dash Point State Park Reveals: WTA is More Than Trails

Oct 02, 2023

Dash Point State Park is a great example of how WTA works in many different ways to create trails for everyone, forever. We are working behind the scenes to fund land management agencies, and we’re working on the ground to rebuild trails. From empowering partners to get their communities outdoors – to helping everyone who gets outdoors to see the part they play in stewarding the places they love, we are building a better future for trails.

WTA Breaks Ground on New Trail Thanks to Planning, Funding, Volunteer Power

Sep 27, 2023

Last week, WTA volunteers cut brush, dug new tread and built retaining walls to begin work on a new 15-mile loop trail around Olsen Creek in Whatcom County. This trail, and the opportunities to get outdoors that it will create, is made possible by years of work by WTA and our partners.

Recreate Responsibly: Reflecting on Three Years of Impact

Oct 04, 2023

The #recreateresponsibly movement was foraged during the pandemic, and has since grown into a national movement. Washington Trails Association and the Mountains to Sound Greenway are continuing to lead the charge in bringing the outdoor recreation community together under an adaptive goal of stewarding responsible recreation.

Hiker Headlines: 30 Years of Trail Maintenance, More Highway 20 Trails Reopen, Hurricane Ridge Road to Close Temporarily

Sep 14, 2023

We’re celebrating 30 years of trail maintenance at WTA! Sept 23 is National Public Lands Day. Take a survey to help Gifford Pinchot National Forest develop a sustainable trails strategy. There are some current and upcoming closures you might want to note when planning your weekend, but — in good news — some of the North Cascades wildfire closures have lifted.

Share Your Hopes for Trails in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Sep 14, 2023

Gifford Pinchot National Forest is creating a sustainable trail system plan to guide future recreation opportunities across the forest and to support visits to iconic places like High Rock Fire Lookout, Goat Rocks Wilderness, Mount Adams and Mount Saint Helens. The forest’s leadership wants to hear from you by Sept. 30 to learn what you value about access to this landscape and where you see opportunities to better meet needs in the future.

Hiker Headlines: Family-Friendly Work Party, Alpine Lakes Wilderness Survey, Wildfires Rage On

Aug 24, 2023

Join WTA on a family-friendly work party at Panorama Dome on September 2. Take the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Visitors Survey to help shape the future of the area. Wildfires continue across the state.