Volunteers Clear Forest Roads, Making WTA Work Parties Possible

Keeping trails in great shape for hikers is a monumental job—one that wouldn’t be possible without a lot of volunteers, team work and partnerships.

One group in the Mount Baker Ranger District is making it possible for WTA crews and hikers to get to trails thanks to their work on forest roads in the area.

Citizens for Forest Roads is a group of volunteers dedicated to keeping roads open and in good repair so people can access their favorite place to hike or otherwise enjoy the many opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Volunteers from Citizens for Forest Roads cleared this debris, and a lot more, off of Glacier Creek Road to make the area accessible to hikers and other outdoor recreationists. Photo courtesy CFFR. 

The U.S. Forest Service is chronically underfunded, and many districts don’t have the funding they need to properly maintain forest roads. CFFR helps address that problem in the Mount Baker area by clearing downed trees, repairing potholes, clearing out culverts to prevent road damage and much more. They have an agreement with the Forest Service to do the work.

“Besides keeping roads open, our aim is to help the district stretch its very limited road maintenance budget and help them be more efficient in performing repair and upgrade work,” says Doug Huddle of CFFR.

One area CFFR worked this spring, on Forest Road 38, opened up access to Ridley Creek Trail. Thanks to their efforts, we will be able to hold work parties on the trail. The trail offers connection to the south side of Mount Baker. WTA has been working on it for several years to make the rugged route to Mazama Meadows a little more accessible. The first work party is May 27. 

CFFR has also been working on, or plans to work on, roads that provide access to Skyline Divide, Hannegan Pass, Goat Mountain and Heliotrope Ridge, among others.

“The work they do provides access for all of us that go hiking,” say Arlen Bogaards, WTA’s Northwest regional manager. “We greatly appreciate the work they do out there.”

Continuing access to trails requires many partnerships with agencies and other groups. We are grateful for all of the work we can get done together to improve hiking experiences around the state. 

For more information on CFFR, contact Doug Huddle.