Hiker Headlines: Snow dump, Hurricane Ridge lodge rebuild, Forest Service trails suffer, flooding fallout

It’s Dec. 18. Communities, roads, trails and ski areas continue to feel the impacts from recent flooding and wind storms, even as a fresh wave of storms drop snow on the high country. The Washington Post reported on what the loss of 6,000 Forest Service staff has meant for trails, bridges, the public and morale at the agency. Olympic National Park is taking the first steps toward rebuilding the Hurricane Ridge day lodge — public comments are now open.

A January 2011 view of the Hurricane Ridge visitor center. The visitor center burned down in May 2023. Photo by Dave Turner/NPS.

Communities, roads and trails update: The state is still in the midst of an active disaster response, and communities, roads and trails remain impacted. Check our blog for the latest on roads and trails. 

Winter storms start dumping snow: A fresh wave of storms is delivering colder weather, and snow has started to pile up in the high country.

• Our friends at Northwest Avalanche Center say that avalanche danger is considerable to high. If you plan to hike, snowshoe or ski in the snow, we recommend checking all the forecasts, downloading their free app (along with our own) and taking an avalanche awareness class. 
• Some of Western Washington's most popular ski areas, including Mount Baker, Crystal Mountain and Steven's Pass are inaccessible, though the good folks at WSDOT have been working overtime to assess and repair roads around the state, so that may change. 
• Some snow play and favorite snowshoeing areas may not be accessible or safe until conditions stabilize from the flooding or more snow accumulates. The Hyak Sledding Hill is currently closed. 

Forest Service trails, infrastructure and morale suffer from staff cuts: This week the Washington Post reported on an internal Forest Service report that detailed the on-the-ground (and often unseen) impacts of massive staff losses at the agency. While not news to hikers in Washington, the report puts stark numbers to the trend we've seen on trails and in the backcountry all summer, namely that the loss of 6,000 Forest Service staff means that the number of trail miles maintained is down 22 percent this year. That means 2025 had the worst trail maintenance backlog in the last 15 years. 

• Read the summary on Instagram
• Read the story in the Washington Post (gift link). 

Hurricane Ridge takes first step to rebuild day lodge: Olympic National Park is taking the first steps in the process of rebuilding the day lodge that burned down in May of 2023 at Hurricane Ridge. Comments opened today for interested hikers who want to add their two cents.   

The "mountain view" webcam at Mount Rainier National Park from Paradise (which is closed today) at 10:33 a.m. 

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