Hiker Headlines: Comment now about Ancient Lakes backpacking; Glacier Peak Wilderness, PCT fire closures

It’s Aug. 20. More fire closures were announced this week, including a major closure on the Pacific Crest Trail in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. However, portions of Riverside State Park and Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail have reopened after recent fires. There's a proposal to ban backpacking in the Ancient Lakes area — you can share if backpacking there is important to you. And the Cowlitz Tribe celebrated the successful reintroduction of Chinook salmon to the North Fork Toutle River this summer! Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.

Share why backpacking in the Ancient Lakes area is important to you during the public comment period on WDFW's proposal to ban camping in the area. Photo by J-Wally. 

More fire closures:

• The Miner’s Fire in the Glacier Peak Wilderness has closed several trails, including the Downey Creek, Suiattle River, Miners Ridge, Grassy Point, Buck Creek Pass, Milk Creek, Gamma Ridge, Sulphur Creek and Sulphur Mountain trails. The Pacific Crest Trail is also closed between Mica Lake (mile 2,524) and Suiattle Pass (mile 2,555). 
• The Pacific Crest Trail is also closed between its junction with the West Fork Methow Trail (mile 2,612.7) and the Northern Terminus due to the Ptarmigan Fire. The Forest Service has indicated that there is no plan or timeline for reopening at this time. 
• The Backbone Fire continues to burn in Gifford Pinchot National Forest near Packwood and the closure order has expanded. Only a few trails are impacted, including Backbone Trail, but several forest roads are closed. 
• The Little Giant Fire closure order has been expanded in the Wenatchee River and Entiat ranger districts in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. 

State park partial reopening: Riverside State Park and Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail have partly reopened after heavy impact from the Old Trails and Autumn Lane fires. Portions of Riverside State Park reopened on Aug. 14, but access is not allowed in the burned area. The Centennial trail closure has shrunken to be between the TJ Meenach Bridge and McLellan trailhead. 

Trail repairs: The Shadow of the Sentinels trail near Baker Lake will be undergoing repairs through October. Though the trail itself will remain open, the hike cannot be completed as a loop and will only be doable as an out-and-back. 

Share your thoughts on Ancient Lakes camping: Due to concerns about visitor impacts to Ancient Lakes and surrounding area (also known as Babcock Bench), the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have proposed closing the area to camping starting on Jan. 1, 2027. While WTA agrees that there are significant natural resources impact issues in this area, we propose some alternative management actions. Instead of shutting down camping, we suggest options such as prohibiting campfires year-round and installing backcountry toilets. Share your comments before the comment deadline on Aug. 26 at 5 p.m. (WTA has requested that WDFW extend their public comment period.) 

Salmon restoration success: The Cowlitz Tribe — along with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Forest Service and other conservation partners — celebrated the successful reintroduction of Chinook salmon to the North Fork Toutle River at Mount St. Helens this summer. The 1980 eruption decimated the original salmon population and later dams, built to prevent flooding, restricted adult salmon from returning to spawn. The Cowlitz Tribe has more restoration work moving forward, including a Pacific lamprey reintroduction project in the Upper Cowlitz River. 

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