Hiker Headlines: Rainer Re-Opens, Dog Mountain Permits, Middle Fork Snoqualmie by Mid-Summer?

It’s Feb. 27. You can visit Longmire and Paradise in Mount Rainier again. And if you’d like to hike Dog Mountain on a spring weekend, you’ll need to get a permit. Officials say mid-summer is the earliest the Middle Fork Snoqualmie landslide damage will be repaired. Our youth ambassadors are awesome, we know it, and now legislators know it too. 

Trip reporter SlowGo had a now-open Paradise at Mount Rainier nearly to themselves this week.

Here’s some hiker news you might have missed while out on trail this week.

Rainier is open again (kinda): After mudslides, flooding and other weather-related road damage, Mount Rainier National Park was closed to all vehicle access in February. Now, after a lot of work, the park has been able to re-open the park to vehicle access at the Longmire entrance on Highway 706 east of Ashford. The northwest corner of the park (the Carbon River entrance) is still inaccessible to vehicles due to significant road damage. That damage, as well as a lot of our storm damage around the area, will require a lot of work to recover.  

Middle Fork by mid-summer?: The Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road, which was also damaged in the weather events and leads to a lot of trails outside Seattle, might be open around mid-summer. Officials say the geology of the area needs to settle before road repairs can begin in earnest.

Kids need time outside: Time outside is good for everyone — especially so for kids. Recently, a group of WTA youth ambassadors visited the state capitol to tell lawmakers of the importance of a program called No Child Left Inside. No Child Left Inside provides grants to help more kids get outside. It’s a vital program where demand far outreaches the funding and it’s inspiring to see young people using their voices.

Dog Mountain: If you would like to hike Dog Mountain for the beautiful spring flowers, start thinking about your plans now. On the weekends in the spring, permits are required to park and hike on the popular trail in Southwest Washington. The Forest Service will release permits beginning on Sunday, March 1. And while we’re talking permits, it’s also a good time to think about the other permits you might want this year.