Wildfire Update: Norse Peak Wilderness and Mount Rainier

The thunderstorms that walloped Western Washington earlier this week caused 17 new fires to spring up, but 15 of those were contained almost immediately. While fires continue to rage in parts of Washington, some confusion has arisen as to which areas are open to hikers. Here is some clarity for those interested in the status of trails in the Norse Peak Wilderness and the Mount Rainier backcountry.

Norse Peak area open; hikers use caution

Trails near the Echo/Lost Lake Fire (Greenwater and Echo Lakes; Lost Lake), Corral Pass and Government Meadows recreation areas officially remain open. However, due to ongoing fire activity, the Forest Service advises hikers to exercise extreme caution if they decide to enter the wilderness or use these areas.

Lightning strikes; fires start

Two lightning fires ignited overnight on Tuesday in Mount Rainier National Park’s backcountry. The Shadow Lake fire located near Sunrise has been extinguished, but the Scarface West Fire near Grand Park continues to burn. At this time no structures are threatened.

The Wonderland Trail between White River Campground and Sunrise is closed as a safety precaution and an alternate route is recommended via Glacier Basin and Second Burroughs. Sunrise Camp, White River Campground, and Sunrise remain open.

The Scarface West Fire is approximately one tenth of an acre in size. The park is currently monitoring this fire, which was discovered by a Puget Sound Incident Coordination Center initiated fire patrol flight. There are no closures in place in the vicinity of this fire.

Visit the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Even though several area closures are in effect for public safety, large areas of the Okanogan-Wenatchee Forest remain open to recreation.

“Fires have burned across thousands of acres of this forest, and firefighters are still working to control some difficult fires in Okanogan, Chelan, and Kittitas Counties,” said Mike Balboni, Okanogan-Wenatchee Forest Supervisor. “But this is a very large National Forest, and several of our districts have been spared large fires so far this season."

Recreation still is in full swing on the Tonasket, Chelan, and Naches Ranger Districts. Even the Methow Valley and Wenatchee River Ranger Districts, which have been dealing with some very large wildfires still offer recreation opportunities in areas as yet unaffected by fire. The exception is the Entiat Ranger district, which is mostly blanketed with fire area closures and has all its campgrounds shut down.

Although much of the Methow Valley Ranger District is closed, the Highway 20 corridor west of Winthrop and the Forest Service campgrounds and trails in it are open to recreation. Lake Chelan and most of the forest and trails around it are still open to recreation, as are Lake Wenatchee and the White River drainages.

The latest information on wildfires and public safety closures is available the forest's web site.

There is also a forest-wide ban on campfires. Forest users can help by putting out any abandoned campfires they encounter, and by reporting any unmanned fires they see.