Hike Your National Parks! - - Early Season Walks
Deep snow will blanket the high country for months yet, but National Park Service areas in western Washington and northwestern Oregon offer snow-free hiking right now. Here are samples from 6 of the 8 areas making up the North Coast and Cascades Network of national park sites.
Please note that overnight hikes in the parks mentioned here require a backcountry permit.
Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve on Whidbey Island has year-round hiking along the Bluff Trail beginning at Ebey's Landing State Park at the foot of Ebey's Landing Road off State Route 20 near Coupeville. This trail can be done as a loop or walking the same way out and back. The 200 foot bluff which gives the trail its name looks out to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains. Allow 1.5 hours for this hike traversing a variety of habitats and land owned by Washington State Parks, the National Park Service, and The Nature Conservancy. This trail connects with others leading to the historic Town of Coupeville and Fort Ebey State Park. For a map of the Reserve, including its trails, go to http://www.nps.gov/ebla/naturalist/naturemap.htm.
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, established in 2004, combines Fort Clatsop National Memorial with state park lands in Oregon and Washington associated with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The multiple trailheads of the Fort To Sea Trail, built in commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, offer the opportunity for hikes up to 6.5 miles one way. Hikers stroll through a varied landscape from the replica of the fort through wetlands, coastal woods, along the edge of a coastal lake and through shore-pine covered dunes. The Fort To Sea Trail traces the route members of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery may have taken from the original site of Fort Clatsop to the Pacific Ocean. For more information, go to http://www.forttosea.org/hikingFAQs.htm or call 503-861-2471, x 214.
Mount Rainier National Park’s Carbon Glacier Trail offers early season hiking with a round trip of 7 miles and 1,200 feet of elevation gain. Snow remains on about half of the trail, but boot tracks are visible for route finding. This trail’s gentle uphill grade parallels the Carbon River through old growth forest, then crosses the river on a suspension bridge to reach the snout of the Carbon Glacier, the lowest elevation glacier in the contiguous 48 states. The trailhead is at Ipsut Creek Campground, 5 miles inside the northwest entrance to the park at Carbon River. For more information on this hike check the Mount Rainier web page at http://www.nps.gov/mora/recreation/day_tr.htm#carbon or call Longmire Wilderness Information Center (360) 569-HIKE.
North Cascades National Park Service Complex (North Cascades National Park, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, Ross Lake National Recreation Area). The Thunder Creek Trail provides a serene day hike through ancient forest with frequent glimpses of the creek, spring wildflowers, and resident and recently returned migratory birds. From its start at Colonial Creek Campground (milepost 130 on the North Cascades Highway, State Route 20) the trail eventually climbs to snowy higher country and crosses Park Creek Pass into the Stehekin drainage. For more information go to http://www.nps.gov/noca/thundercreek.htm or call 360-856-5700 ext. 515.
Olympic National Park’s Elwha River Trail offers opportunities to hike along the park's largest river drainage, view historic homestead cabins and see wildlife such as elk, deer, and bear as well as harlequin ducks which migrate up this river to breed. The drive to the trailhead passes Glines Canyon Dam, one of the two dams scheduled for 2009 removal to allow spawning salmon and steelhead back up the river. The trail is likely snow free for at least 17 miles one way and will probably soon be snow free 25 miles. For more information, go to http://www.nps.gov/olym/wic/delva.htm and for the latest trail report and overnight permit information, call (360) 565-3100. Overnight permits need to be obtained at the park’s Wilderness Information Center in Port Angeles.
San Juan Island National Historical Park has opportunities for strenuous hiking, leisurely strolls through wildflower fields, and walks on the beach. There are multiple choices at both American Camp and English Camp. Go to http://www.nps.gov/sajh/Exploring_Park.htm for maps and photos or call (360)378-2240 or (Wed.-Sun.) (360) 378-2902.
The North Coast and Cascades Network includes these areas of the 390 in the National Park System: Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Washington Mount Rainier National Park North Cascades National Park Service Complex (North Cascades National Park, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, Ross Lake National Recreation Area) Olympic National Park San Juan Island National Historical Park
These parks provide each other mutual support in a variety of ways, including the accomplishment of projects and the inventorying and monitoring of natural and cultural resources.
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