Grant Helps Improve Trail Experiences in Hood Canal Area
Before & after: take a look at how trails were transformed thanks to a grant and a lot of hard work from WTA volunteers.
As the busy summer season of trail work has slowed down, we’ve had a chance here at Washington Trails Association to look back on some of the work we completed to improve hiking experiences across the state.
This year, one area we spent a lot of time was in the Hood Canal Ranger District of Olympic National Forest, thanks in part to a $20,000 grant from National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.
We used the funds this season to help us lead volunteers in maintaining trails across the District. We worked on areas including Dry Creek, Tunnel Creek, Notch Pass, the Dungeness River, Upper Gray Wolf, Upper Big Quilcene and Lena Lake. (Olympic National Forest doesn’t have the resources to tackle these projects, making the partnership with WTA particularly important.)
3 trails, before and after
Here’s a look at three projects we were able to complete, thanks to the grant and our powerful community of crew leaders and volunteers.
Dry Creek work: before and after. Photos by Charlie Romine.
Dry Creek
Dry Creek offers a peaceful hike that’s suitable for a range of hiker abilities. But over time, the trail had become eroded. The surface was rooty and rocky in many places. Over the course of many day trips, WTA crews rehabbed the trail, making it more easily passable to all hikers.
Notch Pass: before and after. Photos by Charlie Romine.
Notch Pass
A hike up to Notch Pass offers an excellent workout through a very mossy forest. On the trail, WTA crews rebuilt a creek crossing to make it more passable for hikers. Now hikers will be more easily able to cross over, while protecting the creek from turning into a mud pit.
Tunnel Creek: before and after. Photos by Charlie Romine.
Tunnel Creek
The trail at Tunnel Creek follows along the creek before climbing to some excellent views. This trail needed some triage work this season. Crews worked on the biggest problem areas, including improving some slumping tread.
The season at Hood Canal is one example of how WTA can work with land managers and partners to leverage volunteers and accomplish more than the district could alone. Thanks to volunteer and member support, WTA is accomplishing great things across the state.
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