Hiker Headlines: Trailhead Direct service starts, free day, Hurricane Hill weekday closures
Memorial Day is a fee-free day on federally-managed lands. Trailhead Direct service starts up this weekend! Ahead of the long weekend, multiple national forests have shared info about road work this summer. And be aware of other closures too, including weekday closures of Hurricane Hill Road and a segment of the East Lake Sammamish Trail.
It’s May 21. Memorial Day is a fee-free day on federally-managed lands. Trailhead Direct service starts up this weekend! Ahead of the long weekend, multiple national forests have shared info about road work this summer. And be aware of other closures too, including weekday closures of Hurricane Hill Road and a segment of the East Lake Sammamish Trail. Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.
Trailhead Direct service starts this weekend! Photo courtesy of King County Parks.
Fee-free day: Next Monday, Memorial Day, is a fee-free day on federally-managed lands. Parking will be waived at trailheads managed by the Forest Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management.
Trailhead Direct: Trailhead Direct service is starting up this weekend! There are two routes this year: One route will start in Downtown Seattle and travel to Little Si, Mount Si and Mount Teneriffe trailheads. The other route will start at the Mount Baker Link Light Rail station and travel to the Issaquah Alps, ending at the Squak Mountain May Valley trailhead. Service will run every weekend through Aug. 30, as well as Memorial Day (May 25) and the Fourth of July. Fares are $3 one-way, free for youth 18 and under.
National forest roads: Ahead of Memorial Day, Okanogan-Wenatchee, Gifford Pinchot and Umatilla national forests have shared roundups of the road work occurring throughout the forests this summer to help you prepare for the hiking season. Make sure to read up on the closure orders and keep an eye on the Hiking Guide to stay in the know on what’s open.
Hurricane Hill Road closure: Hurricane Hill Road will be closed every Monday–Thursday through June 30 for a water system rehabilitation project. Hurricane Ridge Road will remain open. Between July and August, continued construction may cause periodic impacts to parking and trail reroutes.
Trail closures: Be aware of the following trail closures as you plan your next hike:
- A 600-foot segment of the East Lake Sammamish Trail between Louis Thompson Rd NE and NE Inglewood Hill Rd will be closed starting June 1 through the end of 2026 for trail maintenance and salmon conservation work. Though the closed segment is short, this effectively splits the trail in half.
- The Knee Knocker Trail on Taylor Mountain in the Issaquah Alps will be closed for the next 2 to 4 weeks for a tree health and rehabilitation project.
- Repair work has started on the Chinook Trail bridge in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and will continue through the end of June. The Chinook Creek trail, Observation Peak trailhead and Siouxon trail from its junction with the Wildcat Trail to its junction with FR 58 will be closed during this time.
BE IN THE KNOW
- Keep up to date with Trail News, our monthly email newsletter.
- Search our Hiking Guide to find your next adventure.
- Check trip reports for latest conditions on trails. And if you go for a hike, file your own trip report.
- Sign up for Trail Action Network to stay up to date on issues impacting trails and ways to get involved.
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