Hiker Headlines: WTA storm damage webinar, Lake 22 closure, free weekend, Teanaway Community Forest ribbon cutting

It’s June 4. Join WTA's webinar to learn how this winter’s storm damage could affect your summer hiking. Saturday, June 6, is National Trails Day and also the opening of the West Fork Teanaway trailhead; join us to celebrate! It's also a fee-free weekend. And, be aware of several construction projects that may cause closures or delays, including on the Lake 22 trail and Cascade River Road. Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.

Join WTA for a webinar on June 9 about how damage from the winter's storms might affect your summer hikes. Photo by RichP. 

WTA webinar: Join WTA to learn how this past winter’s storm damage could affect your summer of hiking at a webinar on June 9 at 6 p.m. Speakers at the event are Erin Uloth, forest supervisor of Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest; Dan Rankin, mayor of Darrington; and Jaime Loucky, WTA’s chief executive officer. Register for the event online. 

Fee-free weekend: It’s a fee-free weekend! Saturday, June 6, is National Trails Day, and parking fees will be waived on Forest Service lands. Additionally, the whole weekend, June 6–7, is Free Fishing Weekend, and parking fees will be waived all weekend on state-managed lands, which include all lands managed by Washington State Parks, the Washington Department of Natural Resources and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. 

National Trails Day: This Saturday, June 6, is National Trails Day, a day to celebrate our trails and work to support them. Join a WTA work party (either one of our National Trails Day work parties, or one for another day!), or find an event hosted by the Forest Service — Gifford Pinchot and Colville national forests are both hosting events — or through the American Hiking Society. 

Teanaway trailhead opening: Join WTA, the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other organizations to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the West Fork Teanaway trailhead this Saturday, June 6, at 1 p.m.! The grand opening is the culmination of more than a decade of work by WTA, DNR, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and many other local and state partners, and WTA has hosted over 50 work days in the Teanaway Community Forest over the last several years. We're hosting a half-day work party on Saturday morning, then WTA and the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust will lead a hike, while the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance will lead a bike ride, after the ribbon cutting. 

Road and trail construction: Be aware of the following road and trail construction projects, which may affect your hiking plans: 

• The Lake 22 trail will be closed on Friday, June 5, for trail work. Trail work will continue through the weekend, June 6–7, although the trail will be open. Hikers are advised to hike at Heather Lake, Big Four or other hikes in the Mountain Loop Highway area.
• Cascade River Road will be undergoing repairs June 8–10 at milepost 18. Visitors should expect delays of 1–3 hours during daytime work hours. 
• The bridge at the north end of the East Bank Baker Lake trail is undergoing repairs through August. The bridge is closed to stock, but open to pedestrians. Hikers should anticipate delays on construction days. 
• Huffaker Bridge repairs are scheduled next week June 8–12, and will close Forest Road 25 near Iron Creek Campground. 
• Several other roads in Gifford Pinchot National Forest have construction projects underway; visitors should expect up to 30-minute delays. 

BE IN THE KNOW

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• Sign up for Trail Action Network to stay up to date on issues impacting trails and ways to get involved.