What's next for the Carbon River Road

Photo by M and T

When we look back on the storms of November 2006, what stands out in our minds is the concerted effort by volunteers, land managers and elected officials to restore the damage done to Mount Rainier National Park.  We can be proud of all the work put in to reopening this northwest icon.  But some strings still dangle. 

The Carbon River Road, which has washed out dozens of times in several locations over its history, was hit very heavily by the storms.  Roughly 600 feet of road was washed out, and large gullies were formed at Falls Creek and just beyond Chenuis Falls Campground.  Now that the road is closed, hikers heading to the Carbon Glacier or accessing the Wonderland Trail from the northwest corner of the Park have an additional 11 miles round trip to hike.  The Ipsut Creek Campground, at the end of the road, now sits on an island where Ipsut Creek and the Carbon River flow together.

Mount Rainier National Park is conduction a pre-scoping process in advance of releasing an Environmental Assessment (EA) on the long-term disposition of the road.  None of the conceptual alternatives they propose would restore permanent vehicular access to the campground.  While we’re sad to see the Carbon Glacier put outside of dayhike range for many hikers, it is difficult to imagine a scenario in which the Carbon River Road is sustainable.  The fact that the road is now on a lower alignment than the river makes it particularly vulnerable, and the fact that it is hard against the Wilderness boundary limits reconstruction options.  Mount Rainier staff have been planning for this possibility for some time, as their General Management Plan calls for relocation of facilities to the Park boundary and closure of the road in the event of a major washout.  The Park, along with non-profit conservancies and Congress has been working to purchase 800 acres at the boundary where they’ll locate entrance facilities and a new campground.

The conceptual alternatives proposed by the Park include:

Alternative 1:  No Action, or continue current management.  The road would remain closed and become an informal hiking and biking trail with a camp at the former Ipsut campground.  Facilities would be relocated to the boundary expansion area.

Alternative 2:  This alternative would turn the road into formal hiking and biking trail and relocate facilities to the boundary expansion area.  Over time, new sections of trail would be built to link intact road segments.  The campground would be retained as a hike- and bike-in facility.

Alternative 3:  In the near term, road access would be retained to Chenuis Falls.  As the road continues to wash out, a new hiker-only trail would be built upslope south of the current road alignment.  The campground would be relocated to the boundary expansion area and replaced with a hike-in backcountry camp.

Mount Rainier National Park held public meetings to unveil these alternatives and the rationale behind them.  The alternatives are open for public comment through the end of July.  We would be interested in hearing your thoughts as well.  Please contact Jonathan Guzzo at jonathan@wta.org or by phone at (206) 625-1367 if you have thoughts or questions.  After the Park has completed this pre-scoping process, they will release an EA, which will give hikers another opportunity to comment.