Hiker Headlines: Hurricane Ridge Closure, Bear Poles Removed for the Season, Free Day

It’s Oct 5. WTA’s Trailblazer app was included in the Seattle Times’s recommendations for a Seattle starter kit. Oct 10 is World Mental Health Day, and parking fees will be waived in some areas. Be aware of some closures at Hurricane Ridge Area and the Quinault Rainforest trailhead, in addition to areas with planned burns. And bear poles are being removed from backcountry camps in Mount Rainier National Park — make sure to bring your bear canisters! Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.

Make sure to pack a bear canister if you're planning to camp at Mount Rainier National Park — bear poles are on their way out for the season. Photo by Joseph Gonzalez.

Put the WTA app in your Seattle starter kit! The Seattle Times recently asked its readers to share what they would put into a starter kit for folks coming to Seattle, and WTA’s Trailblazer app was among the things readers suggested as essentials for getting outside. “When it comes to digital navigation tools, the Washington Trails Association’s Trailblazer app was the most popular among respondents.” Download the app and check it out! 

World Mental Health Day: Oct. 10 is World Mental Health Day, and you won't need to pay or Display a Discover Pass to park on lands managed by Washington State Parks, the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). 

Hurricane Ridge closure: To remove the remaining debris from the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge fire earlier this year and prepare the area for winter operations, the Hurricane Ridge area will be closed temporarily starting Oct. 16. There is no exact date known for reopening, but the park expects to reopen the area before the winter recreation season starts. 

Quinault Rainforest trailhead closure: The trailhead will be closed starting Oct. 11 for construction. The closure may last several days, and affects access to the Quinault Rainforest Nature Loop and the Quinault National Recreation Trails. Please drive carefully along South Shore Road near the construction operations. 

Prescribed burns: As temperatures cool, land managers are scheduling prescribed fires this month. If traveling near these fires, expect smoke and possible visibility issues. Here are some schedule burns, but there may be more:

• Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Forest is conducting prescribed burns starting this week near Wenatchee, Mazama and Naches. 
• DNR is conducting prescribed fire training through Oct. 13 in the Selkirk area in Eastern Washington.
• DNR is also planning prescribed burns starting Oct. 5 in Okanogan County near Tonasket. 
• WDFW is planning prescribed burns starting in early October in the Rustler’s Gulch unit of the Sherman Creek Wildlife Area near Newport and the Oak Creek Wildlife Area near Naches. 

Bear poles removed for the season: Mount Rainier National Park is taking down bear poles for the season on the Wonderland Trail and in the Carbon River area backcountry camps. Bring a bear canister if you will be staying overnight in the area. 

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