Help trails recover from storms: Your trip reports needed

This spring, people are going outside and encountering fallen trees, washed out roads and other damage from this past winter’s storms. Land managers and their partners, including WTA, are working to recover trails and your ability to get outside — but we need your help. The next time you hike, please file a trip report to help land managers and WTA staff know about conditions on trails. 

Obstacles on trail are important to include in a trip report. Photo by Cle Elum Ranger District Wilderness and Trail Crew. 

WTA can mobilize quickly and effectively to help land management agencies who are taking care of storm damage to our public lands, despite their shrinking budgets and staff. While WTA staff and volunteers cannot fill the gap left by staffing cuts in agencies like the U.S. Forest Service, together with our community, we can help support them. 

• How your trip reports help
• “Trip reports help the Forest monitor trail conditions across a large and diverse landscape, which is essential to maintaining safe, reliable recreation access. Reports on infrastructure, downed trees, landslides, or very brushy sections help us identify where maintenance is needed most,” said Alex Weinberg, public services staff officer for Olympic National Forest.

We’ve heard directly from partners at Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest that you can help with storm recovery by reporting the conditions you see on trail. With limited staff, land managers like the Forest Service can’t be everywhere. 

Your trip reports will help them assess and respond to storm damage to trails.

Any amount of information in a trip report helps. It doesn’t have to be long or fancy. Even a few sentences and photo can help a lot. Here are some things to try to include:

• Information on obstacles on trail, such as fallen trees that slow you down or force you to turn around.
• Places where the trail is narrow and/or washed away.
• An estimate of how far the obstacle or damage was from the trailhead.
• Photos that show the damage or obstacles.

Including photos helps you write a quick and effective trip report. Photo by trip reporter nora. 

Bonus: If you travel trails without recent trip reports, filing your own trip report is especially useful. It’s also helpful if you share information on sections of trails that are farther from the trailhead than other recent reports.  

Your trip reports will help land managers and WTA know where to focus their efforts to restore access to damaged trails. They’ll also help other hikers stay safe and plan their next trip outside.

Together we can keep trails — and each other — safe this summer.