Hiker Headlines: WTA's New CEO, Free Day, Call for Volunteers, Shuttle Service, Openings and Closures

It’s January 12. A big welcome to our new CEO! January 16 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and parking fees are waived in some areas. WTA is looking for volunteer app developers. A shuttle service from Seattle to Snoqualmie Pass is starting up. Olympic National Park has some closures due to weather. And, Samish Overlook has reopened. Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.

Samish Overlook has reopened, with some improvements. Photo by Akorn.

New CEO: WTA is thrilled to announce that Jaime Loucky is our new CEO! Jaime came to WTA as our first chief impact officer 3 years ago and has been leading our organization as interim CEO since mid-2022. Read more from Jaime in our blog.

Free Day: In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Forest Service, Washington State Parks, Washington Department of Natural Resources and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will be waiving their parking fees on Jan. 16.

Call for (volunteer) app developers: Want to help make WTA's app even better? We're looking for volunteer developers to join our current team. If you have experience in iOS or Android development and a few spare hours a month, fill out our tech volunteer form. Indicate that you want to help with the app and what kind of development experience you have, and we'll be in touch!

Seattle to Snoqualmie Pass shuttle: FlixBus is offering a shuttle service on certain days from Seattle to Snoqualmie Pass, after offering the same service last year. Each trip will cost $20-$25, and will stop in the International District and University of Washington in Seattle. The shuttle will have two trips every Thursday through Monday in the weeks of January 12, February 16 and March 17. 

Olympic National Park closures: Due to inclement weather, several campgrounds and roads will be closed in Olympic National Park today, likely through Sunday, Jan. 15. Campground closures include Quinault, Queets, Kalaloch and Mora campgrounds. Road closures include Upper Queets, Lower Queets, Graves Creek, North Fork Quinault, and Mora (past the ranger station) roads.

Samish Overlook reopens: Samish Overlook has reopened after the Washington Department of Natural Resources completed improvement projects, including adding some parking spaces and rerouting the road to the parking lot. 

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