Paradise and the Hoh River reopen

Two big milestones on the road to storm recovery in Washington's national parks this week. The Hoh River Road in Olympic National Park, which had been closed by a sizable washout since November, opened on Tuesday. Less certain is the Hoh River Trail--we still don't have a full report, but early word is that there's a heck of a lot of blown down trees on the trail. The Hoh is one of the more popular places in Olympic National Park, attracting everyone from tourists from Ohio looking to glimpse a rainforest to climbers attempting the summit of Mount Olympus.

For an account of hiking the 17.5-mile trail into the heart of the park, read Pam Roy's article in the May 2007 issue of Washington Trails magazine.

Great to see that road open again.

Next up--this weekend marks the long-awaited reopening of the Nisqually-Paradise Road in Mount Rainier National Park. There'll be the usual ribbon-cutting and speeches--but the most important fact is that the state's iconic mountain will again be accessible. Whether it's the wildflower meadows above Paradise, the popular trail to elegant Comet Falls or the climbing route to Camp Muir and the mountain's summit, this road is a lifeline for those wanting to taste what the mountain offers.

But driving provides only tiny appetizer compared to the vast, multi-course meal that Mount Rainier's wilderness offers. And the trail system that takes us to those wonders is in bad shape. Many sections of the Wonderland Trail circling the mountain are severely damaged. The list of other trails in the park damaged continues to grow daily: Kautz Creek Trail, Carbon Glacier Trail, Comet Falls Trail, Eastside Trail, Northern Loop Trail, and the Ipsut Falls Trail all sustained significant damage in November.

WTA will have five trail work trips per week at Mount Rainier from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Sign up here to receive updates on trail work opportunities fixing storm damage at Mount Rainier and throughout the Cascades. And become a member of WTA today to help us make these wild places again accessible to hikers.

Photo of Mount Rainier from Burroughs Mountain Trail by Nancy Higgins.