Popular Mount Rainier trail closed after floodwaters damage bridge access

A trail at Mount Rainier National Park was closed Wednesday after recent storms damaged the only access to the Grove of the Patriarchs.

Deputy Superintendent Kevin Skerl signed an emergency regulation closing the Grove of the Patriarchs, a trail in the southeast corner of the national park home to colossal Douglas-firs, hemlocks and cedars.

Recent flooding caused significant damage to the suspension bridge that provides access to the Grove on an island surrounded by the Ohanapecosh River, according to a news release from the national park.

The area will be closed until the bridge can be repaired or replaced. The park did not have an estimate for when repairs would take place.

This story was originally published November 18, 2021 at 11:11 AM.

Peter Talbot

The News Tribune

Peter Talbot is a criminal justice reporter for The News Tribune. He started with the newspaper in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at NPR in Washington, D.C. He also interned for the Oregonian and the Tampa Bay Times. Support my work with a digital subscription