What a Little Money Can Buy: Washington Trails Association Names 10 Hiking Trails in Most Need of Help

SEATTLE— The Northwest’s leading voice for hiking trails, the Washington Trails Association (WTA), today called on Congress to turn around more than a decade of inadequate funding that has resulted in a federal trails system near the breaking point.

An initial budget proposal released earlier this month from the House Interior Appropriations sub-committee, chaired by Congressman Norm Dicks, is a promising step in the right direction—but a final version is still months away. In the meantime, the WTA report illustrates what’s at stake as Congress draws up its budgets. The report brings attention to ten trails that suffer from a deep, systemic problem on Washington’s public lands – the ongoing shortfall in Forest Service appropriations.

According to the report, the ten most endangered hiking trails in Washington are:

Circle Peak / Crystal Lake Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Icicle Gorge Loop Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Headlee Pass Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Gee Point Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Colonel Bob Olympic National Forest

Loowit Trail Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Middle and South Fork Cascade River Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Miners Ridge Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Foggy Dew Ridge Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Boundary Trail Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Click here to view a summary of the ten Endangered Trails, the threats they face, and solutions to help them.

The report encourages hikers to get out and experience the beauty and importance of these trails firsthand, and urges policymakers to act for their recovery and protection.

“Trail maintenance costs money, and as we have seen, when we neglect our national forest roads and trails, they grow over, slide down hillsides, and wash out,” said Jonathan Guzzo, Advocacy Director for WTA. “That’s why these ten trails are so endangered.”

“The good news is that there’s still time to turn this around, and we believe Congress is headed in the right direction,” Guzzo said.

Earlier this month, the House Interior Appropriations Committee, chaired by Congressman Norm Dicks (D-WA) approved national forest recreation increases of 6% over FY 2008 levels, rejecting the deep 10% cut to forest service recreation proposed by the Bush Administration.

"These are important trails, and we are fortunate to have them--and groups like WTA--in our backyard. No one in the outdoor community can afford to take this for granted, and we owe a debt of gratitude for the leadership of Congressman Dicks and his committee in turning around a very seriously deficient budget," said Michael Collins, Vice President of Public Affairs at REI, Inc.

With the help of groups like WTA, public lands agencies have dealt with a tightening belt, using a combination of volunteer labor, user fees, grant funding and other creative solutions. After recent natural disasters on top of severe budget cuts, year after year, these creative solutions are running thin. Congressman Dicks’ proposed increases come none too soon for trails in Washington.

One of the Endangered Trails in the report is the popular Icicle Gorge Loop near Leavenworth. This easy dayhike draws families from around the state to experience its pungent ponderosa pine nestled among carved granite canyon walls. In mid-May of this year, spiking temperatures collided with heavy snowpack to cause a massive snow and debris slide in the upper reaches of the Icicle River, flooding the road and cutting off access to several trails and campgrounds, including the Icicle Gorge Loop. The massive damage rendered will keep the Icicle Road closed for at least a season, a major disappointment to the 500,000 visitors to campgrounds and trails in the Icicle Canyon each year. Stretched recreation budgets give the forest service little leeway to respond to unexpected washouts, and when they do it inevitably precludes other priority repairs.

Also among the endangered trails in the report is the Circle Peak / Crystal Lake Trail, in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest. A massive storm in October 2003 caused three road washouts along the White Chuck, two of them enormous. Ongoing budget woes have put the forest in a difficult position of wanting to restore access, but having no funds to do so.

“Beginning with the storms of 2003, the Darrington Ranger District has seen several winters of severe weather. Heavy rain and wind has made a mess of several of our most popular trails, rendering them inaccessible by road or unhikeable,” said Peter Forbes, the Darrington District Ranger. “Unfortunately, our available resources don’t allow us to respond as quickly as we would like to storm damage and normal wear-and-tear. The washout of the White Chuck Road in 2003 is an example of the problems we’ve seen recently. Not only have hikers lost access to trailheads like Circle Peak and Crystal Lake, but our ability to maintain trails upvalley has been curtailed.”

The Forest Service is currently examining road repair alternatives that could potentially restore access to the Circle Peak/Crystal Lake Trail system. After five years, WTA applauds the perseverance of an agency trying to serve the public. The Endangered Trails Report calls upon Congress to match this effort with much-needed financial support. 

“We’re very pleased that the Interior Appropriations Committee has approved increases over FY 2008 funding levels for forest service recreation. But between this promising stage and final budget passage, anything could happen,” said Guzzo. “That’s why hikers need to let Washington’s Congressional delegation know how much we appreciate their hard work.  We need Senators Murray and Cantwell to defend these gains as the budget moves through the Senate.  And the entire Washington delegation needs to stand firm behind Congressman Dicks.  Trails and recreation funding are an issue that impacts the entire state.”

“I’ve hiked in Washington state for over 20 years--well over 10,000 miles on over 1,000 trails through spectacular landscapes. But I’m afraid that many of those trails will not be around much longer for hikers to enjoy,” said Craig Romano, renowned author of regional hiking guidebooks with the Mountaineers Books. “I’ve seen many of my favorite trails deteriorate-some to near obliteration-due to lack of maintenance because of insufficient funding to the Forest Service. While the Interior Appropriations Committee’s recent action to increase Forest Service funding is a step in the right direction, and Washington’s delegation should be commended for supporting it, it must be followed with adequate annual appropriations that sustain our irreplaceable trail system.”

Since 1993, WTA volunteers have performed 680,000 hours of trail work on public lands in Washington State, from the Olympic Peninsula to the Okanogan National Forest. This equals an in kind contribution of $7.5 million dollars. Hikers wishing to volunteer to help restore an endangered trail can learn more at www.wta.org, or by calling (206) 625-1367.

The Washington Trails Association (WTA) is a non-profit membership organization that works to protect and enhance hiking opportunities in Washington State. Founded in 1966, WTA advocates protection of hiking trails, takes volunteers out to maintain them, and promotes hiking as a healthy, fun way to explore Washington. WTA volunteers contribute over 80,000 hours each year to build and maintain trails in all corners of the state. For more information on WTA: (206) 625-1367 / www.wta.org.