Hiker Headlines: North Cascades permit lottery, no timed entry permits at Mount Rainier in 2026, Suiattle River Road closure
The lottery for backcountry camping permits in North Cascades National Park opens on March 2. Mount Rainier National Park has announced it is not requiring timed entry permits in 2026. The Suiattle River Road has an official closure order in place due to flood damage. And there’s only a few days left to enter WTA’s Golden Roll trip report giveaway!
It’s Feb. 26. The lottery for backcountry camping permits in North Cascades National Park opens on March 2. Mount Rainier National Park has announced it is not requiring timed entry permits in 2026. The Suiattle River Road has an official closure order in place due to flood damage. And there’s only a few days left to enter WTA’s Golden Roll trip report giveaway! Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.
Timed entry permits will not be required at Mount Rainier National Park this year. Photo by Tiffany Chou.
Mount Rainier: Mount Rainier National Park has announced they are not implementing a timed entry reservation system this year for any entrances at the park.
North Cascades: The backcountry camping permit early-access lottery for North Cascades National Park opens Monday, March 2, at 7 a.m. Hikers can enter the lottery on Recreation.gov, and the lottery is open through March 13. Winners will be assigned a priority date when they can book reservations online. General reservations for all other visitors (not picked in the lottery) begin April 29.
Suiattle River Road: An official closure order is now in place on the Suiattle River Road, which was severely damaged during the atmospheric river in December. The road is closed past milepost 4, which restricts access to several trails, including the Suiattle River, Downey Creek, Sulphur Creek, Green Mountain and Boulder Lake trails.
Golden Roll giveaway: Last call to enter WTA’s Golden Roll giveaway! Mention bathroom conditions in a trip report by the end of February for the chance to win a gilded golden roll of a toilet paper. Winners will be chosen at random in March. (And a reminder to always pack extra toilet paper, follow Leave No Trace principles and pack it out!)
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- Check trip reports for latest conditions on trails. And if you go for a hike, file your own trip report.
- Sign up for Trail Action Network to stay up to date on issues impacting trails and ways to get involved.
Comments
Is there any information on plans to repair the Suiattle river road? Who would we contact to ask about that?
Posted by:
Wandering Washington on Feb 26, 2026 05:32 PM
Great question, Wandering Washington. There is still a lot of assessment going on this early in the season. We do know that the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is working hard to determine next steps for the Suiattle and other roads (and trails) in the forest.
WTA will definitely be updating folks across the state through our Trail News newsletter and our Trail Action Network action alerts when we have concrete information and when there are meaningful moments to weigh in, call for funding, etc., so if you don't get our emails, sign up at wta.org/trailnews.
(That said, it's never a bad day to contact your federal representatives to let them know how much you value access to your favorite trails and funding for the forest service and other public lands.)
Posted by:
tiffanyc on Feb 27, 2026 12:39 PM