Hiker Headlines: Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road Closed, Fighting Wildfires and a Return to Trailwork

It's Jan. 2, 2020. Welcome to the future! However, since the future still doesn't have flying cars, you should know that the Middle Fork Road along the Snoqualmie River is closed. WTA is back out working on trails. (Yup, we run volunteer work parties all year!) And we are so grateful for all of you.

Here's a bit of news you may have missed while celebrating the holidays and out on the trail this week. 

Heavy rains prompted a landslide that has closed the Middle Fork Road, outside of North Bend. The road will be closed for the foreseeable future. Photo by King County Road Services. 

Road closed: The Middle Fork Road, along the Snoqualmie River outside of North Bend, is closed 8 miles east of Mailbox Peak due to a landslide. The road, which provides access to a number of hikes along the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River, is still unstable and dangerous, so please respect the barriers and don't hike or bike the closed road to access trailheads. Crews will reassess the area and consider repair options in the spring, once drier conditions make it safe to do so.

Wildfires: While January is not wildfire season in Washington, it is most definitely legislative season. The legislature convenes Jan. 13, and wildfires will be one of the issues on the table. Hilary Franz, commissioner for the Department of Natural Resources, announced a bill that would create a fund to help fight and prevent wildfires. The money for the fund would come from a surcharge of $5 per year on each policy sold by property and casualty insurance companies. Washington Trails Association will be working on wildfire issues, as well as many other issues related to trails and public lands. Sign up to get email updates and opportunities to take action on the issues affecting hikers this session. 

Come play in the dirt: After a break for the holidays, our volunteer trail work crews are back out in the field. If you’ve ever wanted to try trail work, now is a great time. You may even be able to find a trip near near home, as we move to lower elevations in the winter. If you resolved to get outside more this year, this is a great way to to do it. And help us build a better trail system at the same time.  

Thank you! As we start a whole new decade, we are so thankful for our trail community. 2019 was a wonderful year for WTA, and we ended the decade on a high note. Thank you all for your donations and for your inspiring trip reports. We can’t wait to work with you for better trails for a whole new decade. You make everything we do possible. 

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