Trailhead closed due to vandalism 😩

Update: This site is closed to all access as of August 22nd "due to ongoing vandalism" per the DNR website.

(I went to download the educational guide today and noticed the new alert.)

First time checking out the mounds today and they were definitely worth the effort to visit. For some reason the gate was closed just after the turn off. There was enough shoulder room for four cars to park outside the gate without blocking it. There nothing posted to say why it was closed, nothing noted on the website, and all the "recreation alert" signs around the preserve buildings simply said it was open 8am to 5pm.

After limboing under, it was about a third of a mile walk down the road to the trailhead. At the trailhead, the vault toilets were open, clean, and stocked with tp. The observation tower had information about the prairies of western Washington and the various theories about how the mounds formed. It also tells the oral history passed down with the Chehallis tribe, explaining a great flood came through and left the mounds in its wake, which correlates with the possibility of a glacial outburst flood 16,500 years ago. The DNR website has a whole educational packet you can download to learn more and/or tie in a lesson to your field trip.

I am hiking all this month to raise funds and awareness for WTA so that the trails can be enjoyed by future generations. If you would like to contribute, any amount helps.
give.wta.org/jenchilada2025

#hikeathon #makeyourmilescount #teamtacosformiles #hikeathon2025

First time visit to Mina Mounds. We walked the extended nature loop for a 3 mile trek. Loads of wildflower were in bloom - daisy, lupine, golden paint brush, camas, purple violets, desert parsley and valerian. A turkey vulture was flying low looking for a meal. We saw a few mammal paths heading into the mound bases and 2 quick critters we couldn’t identify. Another fantastic day out in nature with friends.

The camas is past prime at the mounds, at least at the trailhead. But if you are able to do the whole loop, there are lots of flowers at the back. (And you can get away from the horrid shooting range noise. Noise-canceling ear buds would greatly enhance enjoyment here. Still, it's a beautiful place.)

More photos on my blog.