Park officials weigh future of part of Wonderland Trail

The News Tribune
Last updated: April 17th, 2008 01:22 AM (PDT)

Those wishing to provide comments should submit them by:

Mail: Superintendent, Mount Rainier National Park, 55210 238th Ave. E., Ashford, WA 98304

Online: parkplanning.nps.gov and choose Mount Rainier National Park from the drop-down menu.

Deadline: Comments should be post marked or electronically date stamped no later than May 15.

Additional opportunities: More public review and comment will be announced in summer 2008. Mount Rainier National Park officials are seeking public comment on how they should repair a section of the Wonderland Trail.

About a half-mile of the trail was destroyed by the Carbon River in the park’s northwest corner during flooding in November 2006.

The damaged section is currently being bypassed via an existing spur trail to the Northern Loop Trail. The spur trail includes a foot-log crossing over the Carbon River, which is prone to washing out during the spring and fall.

Park superintendent Dave Uberuaga announced Tuesday a planning effort to address the needed repairs to the damaged section of trail.

The park’s general management plan, approved in 2002, allows for trail maintenance and minor modifications to trails in order to minimize visitor impacts in subalpine and alpine meadows and other sensitive areas.

The damaged trail section is located in a wilderness area, two miles east of the Ipsut Creek Campground. The missing trail tread, glacier river crossings and lack of a defined route through the forest are creating conditions that are unsafe for hikers.

Preliminary options park officials are considering:

 • Allowing trail use to continue as is.

 • Repairing the damaged section of trail in the existing alignment along the Carbon River.

 • Formalizing the bypass via the Northern Loop Trail and closing the damaged section of trail.

 • Relocating the damaged Wonderland section to higher ground above Carbon River flood zone. This option would require establishing new trail in bedrock, which could require intermittent blasting during trail construction.

Among the first step in the planning process is to involve the public. The park is inviting public comments to help identify natural and cultural impacts and other viable alternatives that should be considered during the planning process.

Originally published: April 17th, 2008 01:22 AM (PDT)