Peninsula Daily News and news sources
Volunteers will perform maintenance work on trails during National Trails Day on Saturday, when the Olympic National Forest also will waive fees at all day-use sites.
The forest also will waive fees the following Saturday, June 9, in recognition of National Get Outdoors Day.
Olympic National Park and state parks will waive fees on June 9 only.
Also on that day, only state parks will waive the need for a Discover Pass. The pass — $30 per year or $10 for one day — will be required at land managed by the state Department of Natural Resources and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife during State Parks free days.
Among groups expected to assist in the trail upgrades Saturday are the Olympic Mountaineers, Back Country Horsemen of Washington, Washington Trails Association and Pacific Northwest Trails Association.
On the North Olympic Peninsula, events include:
— Friends of Anderson Lake State Park will host trail work in the park between Port Townsend and Chimacum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Anderson Lake Road intersects with state Highway 20 near the H.J. Carroll Park
Volunteers may be working in three different areas, said organizer Jeff Chapman of Buckhorn Range of Back Country Horsemen of Washington, as well as Friends of Anderson Lake and Jefferson Trails Coalition.
Muddy sections will be hardened with geotextiles, geogrids and gravel, he said, and some trails need raking and brushing.
Volunteers should have good boots and gloves. Refreshments will be provided. Day parking passes will be available at no charge for volunteers without Discover Passes, he said.
The group has a work party the first Saturday of each month, Chapman said.
For more information, phone Chapman at 360-385-6364 or email bbbranch@olympus.net.
— North Olympic Land Trust volunteers will have two events: a work party and a bike ride.
Volunteers will working on a new trail in the Siebert Creek Conservation Area, which is about 9 miles east of Port Angeles, gathering at 10 a.m. Saturday at the end of Siebert Creek Road and working until noon.
Siebert Creek Road is off U.S. Highway 101 on the north side.
Volunteers have been working on the trail for months, said Lorrie Campbell, stewardship director.
It is expected to be opened to the public for non-motorized transportation later this year.
Tools, drinks and snacks will be provided. Volunteers are asked to bring work gloves, water and rain gear.
From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., the land trust will host a bicycle ride on the Olympic Discovery Trail.
It will start at Robin Hill County Park at the Pinnell Road parking lot. Cyclists will visit five properties protected by North Olympic Land Trust.
The ride will total 14 miles round trip, with 1 to 2 miles of hiking.
RSVPs by today to Campbell at 360-417-1815, ext. 7 or lorrie@nolt.org are welcome but not required.
— The Peninsula Chapter of the Back Country Horsemen of Washington will host a work party and play day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mount Muller Trail west of Lake Crescent.
Tom Mix, a member of the group hosting the event, said, “We want folks to come out and have fun and enjoy the place and get some work done.”
Along with repairing trail tread, volunteers also can hike or ride their horses or bikes on the trail, which is a 14-mile loop, and participate in a potluck.
Children’s activities are planned. Wildlife photography is encouraged, Mix said.
“You might see deer. You could see mountain beaver,” he said.
Participants can bring whatever they please to the potluck, he added.
To reach the trailhead, travel on Highway 101 west of Port Angeles past Lake Crescent and turn right onto the dirt road at the Clallam County Public Utility District electrical power substation just past the crest of Fairholm hill. P
For more information, phone Mix at 360-582-0460 or email him at tom@cuttinggarden.com.
To find a National Trails Day event, visit www.
americanhiking.org/national-trails-day/ or phone Stephanie Neil, Olympic National Forest Hood Canal Ranger District recreation manager, at 360-877-1046.
For information about National Get Outdoors Day on June 9, see www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org/.
For more Discover Pass details, see www.discoverpass.wa.gov.
