Washington Trails Magazine

Did you know that when you hike, it supports jobs, communities and Washington state’s economy? Last week, Leah Dobey, policy specialist at the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO), spoke at the Washington State Trails Conference about the findings from RCO’s 2025 report on the economic contribution of outdoor recreation in our state. On their way outside, hikers and other recreators spend money on gear, gas, food and more. Photo by Devanee Chapman.

Approaching Mount Rainier National Park from the northwest, you pass through the towns of Burnett, Wilkeson and Carbonado and into the lush Carbon River valley. From there, you can reach a number of hikes, including to the Carbon Glacier, the lowest-elevation glacier in the Lower 48 states, and the Wonderland Trail, which wraps all the way around Mount Rainier. At least you could until the spring of 2025, when the aging Fairfax Bridge closed due to safety concerns.

Twilight Lake is a small lake just south of "first" Mirror Lake on the Pacific Crest Trail near Snoqualmie Pass. (There is another further Mirror Lake trailhead higher clearance vehicles can reach; this is not the trailhead in question.) One way to reach it is via the Twilight Lake trail, which starts near the Mirror Lake trailhead. After climbing about a mile, the trail meets up with the Pacific Crest Trail.

It’s Oct. 8. This Saturday, Oct. 10, is World Mental Health Day, and parking fees will be waived at some trailheads. It’s your last chance to submit photos to our Northwest Exposure Photo Contest! The Beacon Rock trail will be closed every Tuesday to Thursday through spring 2027 for construction. Mount Rainier has shared when it expects seasonal roads to close. And some trails have reopened after wildfire closures. Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.

This short connector trail climbs from Tyee Ridge trail to the Middle Tommy trail. (Alternatively, you can take it downhill the other way.) It allows hikers to create a lollipop loop from the Middle Tommy trailhead to Blue Creek Meadow if incorporating the Upper Mad River and Blue Creek trails as well. Other larger trips can be made with this connector trail. The trail can be reached 5.2 miles west from the trailhead on the Middle Tommy trailhead on the Middle Tommy trail.

Suze Woolf, an artist and WTA Fireside Circle member, has been hiking for most of her life — and she’s seen a lot change on trail over that time. In the early 2000s, she began noticing more burned areas. Around then, she also traveled across Canada and saw many areas of beetle kill. Artist Suze Woolf “There is a surprisingly complicated relationship between beetle kill and fire,” she said. “Both are symptoms of climate change.

Nestled in the foothills of Mount Rainier, the University of Washington’s Pack Forest is a living laboratory where education, research, and sustainable forestry come to life. Navigation note: Blazes mark some routes in Pack Forest, though no blaze legend is posted. Best to download a trail map prior to setting out. Windy Ridge is a short and steep in-and-out walk along a ridge within Pack Forest near Eatonville.

It’s Oct. 1. WTA is hiring for a full-time volunteer and training coordinator, as well as for our seasonal Emerging Leaders Program! It’s your last chance to speak up for the Roadless Rule. The off-season has begun in the mountains: Bear poles are coming down at Mount Rainier and the North Cascades Visitor Center is closed. A new ADA-accessible trail has opened at Heybrook Ridge County Park.

Thomas Dambo, a Danish artist, is a name well-known in some areas of the Puget Sound region. He's famous for his giant wooden trolls placed in public areas (all over the world!), where visitors can delight in them year-round. The trolls in the Puget Sound are a part of the Way of the Bird King exhibition, which includes 10 trolls Dambo installed (with the help of over a thousand volunteers) across the country. The Way of the Bird King story tells of Oscar the troll seeking the Bird King.

Nestled in the foothills of Mount Rainier, the University of Washington’s Pack Forest is a living laboratory where education, research and sustainable forestry come to life. Navigation note: Blazes mark some routes in Pack Forest, though no blaze legend is posted. Best to download a trail map prior to setting out. From the parking lot across from Pack Forest Administration Building, head through the gravel parking lot away from the entrance toward the outbuildings and then a pond on the left.