Trip Report Roundup: Earth Day 2023

Last Saturday, April 22, was Earth Day — a day to celebrate the earth, spend time outside and take action to take care of the environment.

Of course, one great way to protect our public lands and outdoor spaces is to practice leaving no trace. We asked you to share how you celebrated Earth Day in a trip report, and let us know if you picked up any litter while you were outside. 

Here’s what some of our community members got up to this weekend. 

Bay to Baker Trail — bellingham

Packing a trash bag with your Ten Essentials is a great way to help our public lands. Photo by Ups n Downs.

Ups n Downs brought a trash bag with them on their hike on the Bay to Baker Trail. They weren’t able to find a lot of trash — a good thing! — and picked up any they did find. Thanks for being a great trail steward, Ups n Downs! 

Cowiche Canyon preserve — near Yakima

Some blue skies in Central Washington. Photo by TralRnnr. 

TralRnnr saw many Earth Day activities happening at Cowiche Canyon Preserve, where they found a butterfly display and learned about how the long cool season had been impacting the canyon butterflies. 

Dungeness Spit — near Port Angeles

Make sure to pack out your trash at the beach — and everywhere else. Photo by It Sounds Like Camera.

It Sounds Like Camera took to the beach, hiking along Dungeness Spit all the way to the lighthouse. On the way, they caught glimpses of plenty of marine wildlife, like seals and seabirds — including a pair of nesting bald eagles.

Columbia Hills State Park — Columbia River Gorge

Wildflower season is here! Photo by Bob and Barb.

Bob and Barb scoped out the wildflower situation at Columbia Hills State Park, where they saw some flowers — lupine, balsamroot, yellow desert parsley, fiddleneck and more — but determined the peak bloom was yet to come. 

Dash point state park — federal way

Two of our ambassadors were able to take a short hike during a break in this busy schedule. Photo by MissJenn. 

Two WTA ambassadors — including MissJenn — represented WTA at Sundaes Outside: A Celebration of Black Folks, organized by Golden Bricks, at Dash Point State Park. The two ambassadors took a hike to the beach during some downtime.

roslyn urban forest and surrounding area — roslyn

A snowy lunch break. Photo by tiffanyc.

tiffanyc and a friend drove across the pass and hiked in and around the Roslyn Urban Forest, creating a loop with the Ewok and Crooked Tree trails. They enjoyed a quiet lunch at the ridge, where it was slightly snowier than expected. 

Kalama river falls — mount st. helens area

The falls were flowing this weekend! Photo by BeaverDawg. 

BeaverDawg hiked to Kalama River Falls, which were flowing well. On their drive back home, they stopped at some dispersed campsites nearby to pick up leftover trash. We appreciate you taking care of our outdoor spaces, BeaverDawg! 

Little Mashel Falls — Eatonville

Photo by msmit245.

msmit245 had to battle a lot of slippery mud to get to Little Mashel Falls, but they persevered and made it to the falls to get some great photos. 

Dusty Lake — near Wenatchee

A great cloudy and dusty hike. Photo by Loren Drummond. 

Loren Drummond took her 3-year-old on a day hike at Dusty Lake after changing previous plans to camp overnight at Ancient Lakes. Luckily, they didn't encounter much trash on the trail, but picked up any they came across. 

Mount si — North bend

Not a lot of visibility, but still a great day outside. Photo by kreidykid. 

kreidykid spent a cloudy day at Mount Si, taking the new trail up and the much-steeper old trail down. They also picked up three bags of dog poop during their hike — thanks for helping keep our trails free of trash, kreidykid! 

Crestwoods and juanita bay parks — Kirkland

Talk about an action shot! Photo by wafflesnfalafel.

wafflesnfalafel saw a bunch of flora and fauna on their hike at Juanita Bay Park and on the Crestwoods Park Trail, but the highlight of their day was seeing a blue heron hunting fish in the water.

Happy Earth Day to everyone — we love seeing what our community members get up to outside. Thanks to everyone who wrote up a trip report and shared their adventures with us!