Hiker Headlines: Winter Solstice, First Day Hikes, Echo Ridge Ski Area Opening

It’s Dec. 21. Happy winter solstice! The Echo Ridge Nordic Ski Area will be open for the season starting Dec. 22, and Taylor Mountain's Road K Trail will be closed for about a month starting Dec. 27. Ring in the new year with Washington State Parks’ First Day Hikes. And the Washington State Department of Natural Resources will be holding public meetings in early 2024 to help make a statewide recreation plan. Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.

The Echo Ridge Nordic Ski Area will open for the winter season soon! Photo by DK-421.

Happy winter solstice! Today is the shortest day of the year — from here on out, our days will be getting longer, so start planning your longer day hikes now! 

First Day Hikes: Looking for a fun way to kick off the new year? Washington State Parks is hosting several different activities on New Year’s Day, like ranger and staff-led hikes, bike rides, snowshoe excursions and more through 40+ parks. Plus, Jan. 1 is a parking fee-free day at Washington State Parks!

Echo Ridge open: The Echo Ridge Nordic Ski Area is opening for the season on Friday, Dec. 22. Please note that there’s a $15 day use fee per adult for skiing and snowshoe trails. 

Taylor Mountain: Road K Trail on Taylor Mountain will be closed from Wednesday, Dec. 27, through Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024 for maintenance work. The parking lot will also be closed on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2024. The rest of the park is still open and accessible via other trails. 

Share your input: The Washington State Department of Natural Resources will be holding four public meetings in January and February 2024 to help create their Outdoor Access and Responsible Recreation Strategic Plan. This plan will inform future work to increase accessibility to the outdoors. These public meetings are:

• Jan. 18 from 9 a.m. to noon in Ellensburg
• Jan. 23 from 9 a.m. to noon in Lacey
• Feb. 1 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. via Zoom
• Feb. 6 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom

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