The Comet Falls Trail at Mount Rainier National Park has been temporarily closed to public use this morning, due to extremely hazardous conditions on the trail.
The Comet Falls Trail at Mount Rainier National Park has been temporarily closed to public use this morning, due to extremely hazardous conditions on the trail.
Superintendent Randy King said the closure begins 1 mile beyond the trailhead. A substantial washout, about 10 feet across and 30 feet deep, made worse with the recent rains over the past several weeks, has created unstable conditions that have undermined the trail approximately 1 mile in from the trailhead.
GLACIER - Glacier Creek Road has been closed to vehicle traffic at Thompson Creek Bridge because of a washout - about seven miles from the start of the heavily used Heliotrope Ridge Trail.
The trail, which begins in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and enters Mount Baker Wilderness, is popular with hikers when the snow melts out, and is a major access route for climbers heading up Mount Baker.
"It's a pretty substantial impact," said Tim Page, program coordinator for American Alpine Institute in Bellingham. "The bulk of the climbing in the summer season goes up the Coleman-Deming route or various other routes that start from the trailhead off that road."
Volunteers working with the Washington Trails Association contributed nearly 100,000 hours of work across the state this year. The nearly 2,700 volunteers contributed $2 million worth of service to state’s public lands, according to the group.
The state Department of Natural Resources is inviting the public to ride newly completed off-road-vehicle trails at Reiter Foothills Forest near Gold Bar. Trail users will have an opportunity to complete a survey about the trails to provide feedback on future trail design in the area.
Recently, my 2-year-old granddaughter started mimicking my reading to her, and excitedly kept pointing out and saying her two favorite letters -- X and O. It's a joy to watch children discover their world. Each day holds new adventures waiting to happen.
Comets are a lot like young children. Both do what they want, when they want.
This week, Comet PanSTARRS climbs above the western horizon to either showcase itself or remain faint and hidden inside the afterglow of dusk.
The hillside switchback trail that runs between the west Capitol Campus and Heritage Park will be closed from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday while Enterprise Services spreads new gravel there to help maintain safe footing and accessibility and minimize erosion.
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