Hiker Headlines: In Solidarity, Public Lands Funding, Safe Hiking

It's June 4. WTA is mourning along with our country. An important public lands bill is making progress in Congress. This weekend you won't need a Discover Pass to park at state parks. And WTA's Jill Simmons will join a discussion today about safe outdoor recreation this summer. 

Photo By Geoffrey Schmid

Black Lives Matter: WTA is mourning the loss of George Floyd and his senseless killing at the hands of a police officer, as well as the loss of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. These tragedies continue the unacceptable history of racial violence against Black, Indigenous and people of color in America. We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, Black Americans and people of color, and join the nationwide outcry for racial justice. We have much work to do.

Good news for public lands: Today in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Joe Cunningham introduced the Great American Outdoors Act, bipartisan legislation to fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and address priority repair needs in our national parks and other land management agencies, including national forests. This bill is the House companion legislation to the Great American Outdoors Act introduced in the Senate. In March, President Trump called on Congress to send this legislation to his desk to be signed into law. The Great American Outdoors Act has drawn the support of more than 900 organizations across the country. WTA has long championed addressing the maintenance backlog on federal lands and funding LWCF, and we are in strong support of this legislation.

Free days: Saturday and Sunday this weekend are fee-free days at Washington State Parks. That means you won’t need a Discover Pass to park at state parks. It’s also a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife free-fishing weekend. State parks has rescheduled two fee-free days, which were cancelled during coronavirus closures, for Sept. 13 and Oct. 20. Note: Some state parks remained closed due to coronavirus concerns. 

Hike safe: Jill Simmons, WTA’s chief executive officer, will join Rep. Kim Schrier and land managers to talk about how to safely recreate in the time of coronavirus. The talk begins at 3 p.m. today and you’ll want to register in advance. 

Teanaway closure: Several trails in the Teanaway are closed due to a police search in the area. Check whether your hike is open or not in our Hiking Guide before heading that way. 

Lake 22 closed: In order for the Forest Service to safely do work on the trail, Lake 22 will be closed all day today. Because of the busy nature of this trail, crews wouldn’t be able to safely finish the necessary maintenance without the closure. 

BE IN THE KNOW

• Keep up to date with Trail News, our monthly email newsletter. 
• Check our Hiking Guide for information on what trails are open. 
• Check trip reports for latest conditions on trails. And if you go for hike, file your own trip report.
• Sign up for Families Go Hiking, our email newsletter for families with plenty of tips on keeping kids busy.