Hiker Headlines: Naches area trail closures, new statewide recreation plan, snow levels dropping

It’s Oct. 24. The Mount Si trailhead will be temporarily closed and there are some trail closures in the Naches area. You can learn about a new statewide plan for recreation by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources at an upcoming meeting. A movie about explorer and cartographer Michi Meko is debuting in Portland. And snow is coming to the mountains this week! Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.

Snow has arrived in the mountains... and there's more coming! Photo by trip reporter dchk. 

Closures: Be aware of the following closures as you plan your next hike:

• The Mount Si trailhead will be closed on Monday, Oct. 28, for re-grading work on the parking lot. All trails will remain open and accessible via the Mount Teneriffe and Little Si trailheads. 
• Multiple trails are closed until further notice in the Naches area due to recovery operations following a plane crash. Trails affected include the Twin Sisters, Rattlesnake, Russell Ridge and the Sand Ridge trails, as well as the road to Bumping Lake. 
• The temporary bridge on North Shore Quinault Road — along the North Fork Quinault River — has been removed for the winter season. The road remains open, but this closure will split the Quianult Loop Drive into two out-and-back roads until the bridge is replaced. Visitors must use the South Shore Road to access the Graves Creek trailhead. 

New recreation plan: Attend a meeting to learn about the Washington State Department of Natural Resources’s first-ever statewide plan for recreation on their lands. One in-person meeting is on Oct. 28 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Lacey Community Center, and two Zoom meetings are set for Oct. 29 from 5 to 7 p.m. and Oct. 30 from 10 a.m. to noon. The plan is available online with public comment open until Nov. 21.

Award-winning film’s debut: Check out the debut of Chad Brown’s award-winning documentary on Michi Meko, "Inward," with both the director and subject at the Portland Art Museum’s Tomorrow Theater in Portland at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 21. The documentary shares the story of Michi’s experience as a Black man in the outdoors. A discussion with Chad and Michi will follow the screening. 

Snow on the way: The mountains have been getting snow this week, and they’ll be getting more soon. The snow level is forecasted to lower all the way down to 3,500 feet early next week! That means it’s a good idea to pack your snow gear — and definitely a good idea to pack your warm layers and rain gear — even on lower-elevation hikes. Looking for a hike that will keep you below the snow level? Check out the “high point” filter on the sidebar of our Hiking Guide, which lets you find hikes that stay below your chosen elevation. 

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