Hiker Headlines: Rainier seasonal road closures begin, free day, share your thoughts on SW WA parks

It’s Oct. 22. Next Tuesday, Oct. 26, is Teddy Roosevelt’s birthday, a fee-free day on federally-managed lands. Mount Rainier National Park has started its seasonal road closures, and there’s an additional overnight road closure at the Nisqually entrance this week. The North Shore Road temporary bridge is out for the winter season. Sitkum Sol Duc Road has been heavily repaired! A few fire closure orders have been reduced. And, share your thoughts on Clark County Parks. Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.

A few roads are getting closed for the winter at Mount Rainier! Photo of White River entrance courtesy of the National Park Service. 

Mount Rainier seasonal road closures: Mount Rainier National Park has begun closing roads for the season. Paradise Valley Road and the White River Road to the White River Campground are closed for the season. Sunrise Road was already closed due to the Grand Park 2 and Wonderland Complex fires, but is now closed for the season. 

Mount Rainier overnight closure: In addition to the seasonal closures, SR 706 will be closed at Kernahan Road E from 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, to 6 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 24, for culvert replacement. The road will be closed in both directions and Mount Rainier National Park's Nisqually entrance will be fully inaccessible. 

Fee-free day: Next Tuesday, Oct. 26, is Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday, and it’s a fee-free day on federal lands. You won’t need a parking pass on lands managed by the National Park Service, Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management. 

North Shore Road closed: The temporary bridge on North Shore Road, near the Graves Creek/Enchanted Valley trailhead, will be removed for the winter season today, Oct. 22. With the recent reopening of South Shore Road, travelers can still take South Shore Road to reach this area of Olympic National Park near Lake Quinault. 

Sitkum Sol Duc Road open: Forest Road 29, also known as Sitkum Sol Duc Road, has been repaired up to milepost 23.9 after major washouts and damage from floods and atmospheric river events. Olympic National Forest says “this may be the largest construction project completed on the Olympic National Forest!”

Fire closures reduced: With the cooling weather, some fire closures have reduced: 

• The Pacific Crest Trail fire closure order near Stehekin due to the Sisi Fire has been reduced. The trail was previously closed between Suiattle Pass (mile 2555.2) and Bridge Creek Camp (2580.1); it is now closed between Suiattle Pass and Stehekin Valley Road (mile 2575.2). 
• The Little Giant Fire closure order has been reduced. The Forest Service warns that the area still has many post-fire hazards, so anyone entering the area should stay alert and be extra cautious, especially in parts of the Entiat River and Chiwawa River drainages. 

State park trail closure: Parts of the Willapa Hills State Park Trail between LeBam and Heckard Road in Raymond will be closed through January 2027 for trail improvements. Other parts of the trail will remain open.

Update on congressional Forest Service concerns: Members of Congress wrote to the federal leaders seeking information on Forest Service trail maintenance. The lawmakers, including Rep. Kim Schrier and Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington, asked where the agency hired trail positions this summer. They also questioned how the agency will "ensure safe, responsible, and sustained access to public lands" moving forward. Their message follows up on a letter in March, signed by 23 members of Congress, that called on the Forest Service to hire more seasonal staff and better maintain national forest trails. Special thanks to the 1,272 individuals who joined WTA in writing to Congress in January and expressing your support for hiring Forest Service staff. 

Share your thoughts: Clark County Public Works is seeking community input to shape the next 20 years of parks planning and development. Over the past decade, WTA volunteers have performed thousands of hours of volunteer trail construction and maintenance at parks such as Vancouver Lake, Lacamas Lake and Whipple Creek. What types of parks, trails and amenities are most important to you? Take this short survey to make your voice heard. The survey is open through Nov. 1. 

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