A man picks his way through the rubble of Olympic Hot Springs Road at the site of a washout in the Elwha River Valley of Olympic National Park in 2017. (Keith Thorpe / Peninsula Daily News file)

A man picks his way through the rubble of Olympic Hot Springs Road at the site of a washout in the Elwha River Valley of Olympic National Park in 2017. (Keith Thorpe / Peninsula Daily News file)

They may prefer trails, but hikers still need usable roads

Washed-out roads restrict access to Washington’s public lands. What can outdoors-loving citizens do about the problem?

  • By Washington Trails Association
  • Sunday, May 29, 2022 1:30am
  • Life

By Washington Trails Association

Right now, at least 14 major forest service roads are restricting access to dozens of destinations on Washington’s public lands.

Maybe you’ve noticed this. While spring is a beautiful hiking season, it’s also a tough time to find overnight destinations in Washington. That’s because there’s still snow in the hills, which means if you want to go camping or backpacking without a snow-ready setup, your options are mostly riverside trails. Unfortunately, winter storms and flooding can knock out the roads leading to those trails, leaving hikers with limited options right now.

Luckily, WTA has an extensive hiking guide you can browse to find alternate destinations, and we have tons of resources to build your skills and confidence in getting outside if you’re ready to take the next step. You can browse through those for inspiration or a new destination while waiting for the road to your bucket list hike gets repaired.

Roads enable recreation and critical maintenance

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

A washed-out road often means more than one trail is out of the running; it can cut off an entire area to recreation and prevent key maintenance from occurring. In fact, the Forest Service currently uses four times more money to fix roads than trails or facilities, and many roads need to be repaired every year.

Looked at it that way, it’s remarkable how much work gets done to restore access to the forest each year. But as more people want to get outside and our changing climate makes for wild weather, the number and severity of road washouts will likely also increase. And so will the cost of those repairs.

We’re already seeing those impacts on the ground. In March, an atmospheric river event on Olympic National Forest lands triggered multiple debris flows and washouts and caused more than 10 major areas of road damage. This event left the Olympic National Forest with an estimated 2 million dollars worth of damages and will require approximately two years for repair. And that’s on top of deferred maintenance and longer-term issues the agency was already grappling with.

A large washout closed Forest Service Road 29 in the Olympia National Forest in 2016. Hikers rely on forest service roads to access backcountry trails. (Forest Service photo via the Forks Forum, file)

A large washout closed Forest Service Road 29 in the Olympia National Forest in 2016. Hikers rely on forest service roads to access backcountry trails. (Forest Service photo via the Forks Forum, file)

How does this happen?

Just like trails, roads can be blocked by downed trees, flooded by clogged drains, or eroded away by a river or creek. In many cases, downed trees or brush are relatively straightforward to clear, but washouts are a different matter. In addition to being frequent and costly to repair, washouts also introduce sediment into the water of salmon-bearing streams, making the water turgid and harder for salmon to survive in. So it’s in the agency’s best interest to repair them in a more permanent way, but that can be much more expensive than a quick patch-up.

That’s where WTA’s efforts on the Legacy Roads and Trails Program comes in. Since 2008, this federal program has had the key goal of conserving recreation access and promoting environmental health. The work Legacy Roads and Trails does considers the whole ecosystem. A project through the Legacy Roads and Trails Program would clean out culverts and do maintenance work to avoid the washout in the first place.

It also means moving entire roads out of the problem area instead of repairing them where they lie.

But moving a road can be hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of maintenance. For example, 60 feet of the Elwha River Road washed out in 2014 after the Elwha Dam removal restored the river to its meandering nature of the river. A sustainable fix here means moving the road out of the floodplain, since further washouts where it currently lies would impact the very salmon the dam removal was intended to protect.

A washout last winter destroyed the Carbon River Trail, which was formerly a road in Mount Rainier National Park. (National Park Service photo via Enumclaw Courier-Herald, file)

A washout last winter destroyed the Carbon River Trail, which was formerly a road in Mount Rainier National Park. (National Park Service photo via Enumclaw Courier-Herald, file)

Addressing the funding gap

WTA’s advocacy work focuses hiker’s energy and passion to promote projects that benefit hikers while also considering how a project will affect the integrity and ecology of the landscape.

“We cannot access the majority of Washington’s incredible wild places without Forest Roads,” explained Andrea Imler, advocacy director at WTA. “Yet funding for maintaining and repairing forest roads is woefully lacking, leaving some roads and trails inaccessible for many years. As managers of our national forests, the Forest Service has a duty to keep these roads accessible, but funding from Congress has dwindled over the years and doesn’t come close to meeting the need. Congress must address this gap and increase the funding that the Forest Service receives so everyone can access and enjoy our backcountry trails.”

An excavator loads pieces of old roadway into a dump truck at the site of a washout on Olympic Hot Springs Road in the Elwha Valley of Olympic National Park in 2016. (Keith Thorpe / Peninsula Daily News file)

An excavator loads pieces of old roadway into a dump truck at the site of a washout on Olympic Hot Springs Road in the Elwha Valley of Olympic National Park in 2016. (Keith Thorpe / Peninsula Daily News file)

Two ways to help

Make your voice heard: Our legislators support this work, but they need to hear from hikers who appreciate the work. By joining our Trail Action Network, you’ll join the chorus of hikers speaking up for trails. And sometimes that means speaking up for road repair. Because improving access doesn’t just mean clearing trails, it means improving our ability to even get to the trailhead. wta.org/tan

Report problems: Encounter a washout or rough road? Please file a trip report to help out other hikers and land managers. wta.org/tripreports.

Washington Trails Association promotes hiking as a way to inspire a people to protect Washington’s natural places. Learn more at www.wta.org.

Paradise cut off

Some winter-damaged roads and what they access:

Baker Lake Road: Baker River trailhead, popular family hikes and early-season backpacking

Beckler River Road: Access from U.S. 2 to day hikes and backpacking trips in Wild Sky and Glacier Peak Wildernesses

Cascade River Road: Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm

Falls Creek: Popular local waterfall hike in the Methow Valley

Loomis Nooksack Road: Day hikes on the south side of Mount Baker

Miller River Road: Lakes Dorothy, Bear and Deer

Suiattle River: Day hikes and backpacking trips to Glacier Peak Wilderness

West Fork Buttermilk: Pasayten Wilderness access

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Photo courtesy of Kristi Nebel
Folk duo Steve and Kristi Nebel will be among the musical acts performing at the Edmonds Arts Festival, which takes place Friday through Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Kristi Nebel
Folk duo Steve and Kristi Nebel will be among the musical acts performing at the Edmonds Arts Festival, which takes place Friday through Sunday.
Coming events in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Kim Crane talks about a handful of origami items on display inside her showroom on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Crease is the word: Origami fans flock to online paper store

Kim’s Crane in Snohomish has been supplying paper crafters with paper, books and kits since 1995.

A woman flips through a book at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pop some tags at Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley

$20 buys an outfit, a unicycle — or a little Macklemore magic. Sales support the food bank.

Audi SQ8 Wows In Motion Or At Rest. Photo provided by Audi America MediaCenter.
2025 Audi SQ8 Is A Luxury, Hot Rod, SUV

500 Horsepower and 4.0-Second, 0-To-60 MPH Speed

The Mukilteo Boulevard Homer on Monday, May 12, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Homer Hedge’: A Simpsons meme takes root in Everett — D’oh!

Homer has been lurking in the bushes on West Mukilteo Boulevard since 2023. Stop by for a selfie.

Sarah and Cole Rinehardt, owners of In The Shadow Brewing, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In The Shadow Brewing: From backyard brews to downtown cheers

Everything seems to have fallen into place at the new taproom location in downtown Arlington

Bar manager Faith Britton pours a beer for a customer at the Madison Avenue Pub in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burgers, brews and blues: Madison Avenue Pub has it all

Enjoy half-price burgers on Tuesday, prime rib specials and live music at the Everett mainstay.

Ellis Johnson, 16, left, and brother Garrett Johnson, 13, take a breather after trying to find enough water to skim board on without sinking into the sand during opening day of Jetty Island on Friday, July 5, 2019 in Everett, Wash. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Epic ways to spice up your summer

Your ultimate guide to adventure, fun and reader-approved favorites!

The 2025 Jeep Gladiator pickup, in one of its more outrageous colors (Provided by Jeep).
2025 Jeep Gladiator is a true truck

The only 4x4 pickup with open-air abilities, Gladiator is more than a Wrangler with a bed.

Ian Terry / The Herald

Rose Freeman (center) and Anastasia Allison play atop Sauk Mountain near Concrete on Thursday, Oct. 5. The pair play violin and piano together at sunrise across the Cascades under the name, The Musical Mountaineers.

Photo taken on 10052017
Adopt A Stream Foundation hosts summer concert on June 14

The concert is part of the nonprofit’s effort to raise $1.5 million for a new Sustainable Ecosystem Lab.

People walk during low tide at Picnic Point Park on Sunday, March 3, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Beach cleanup planned for Picnic Point in Edmonds

Snohomish Marine Resources Committee and Washington State University Beach Watchers host volunteer event at Picnic Point.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.