Closed for restoration

[drm]

How do we know the current user trail is harming the environment?

Well, basically you have to ask. Not here. Ask the people who made the decision to close it. Now that I'm a volunteer forest steward in the Gifford Pinchot, I get to do that now and then. The answer I get is not always what I expected. And I'm not saying they always make the best decision, but it's hard to know by just guessing.

[Koda]

How do we know the current user trail is harming the environment?

Well, basically you have to ask. Not here. Ask the people who made the decision to close it. Now that I'm a volunteer forest steward in the Gifford Pinchot, I get to do that now and then. The answer I get is not always what I expected. And I'm not saying they always make the best decision, but it's hard to know by just guessing.

yes, I agree we should ask. I do understand that. But I think it would be irresponsible to just assume the Forest Service closed the trail because of environmental concerns. Yes, I know nothing of building trails, but I also know nothing of why the trail is closed and I know I'm capable of learning and agreeing or calling BS. Its public land the public deserves an explanation.

Its been many years since I've been there and Kals photos don't look like anything is changed, I don't see any damage caused by it so no harm in keeping it. I do see harm in closing it because people are going to go up there and no-body is going to stop them. That's a climbing route to the Col, and to Arrowhead lake. A new user trail will be made in no time at all. If the environmental damage is the reason the FS would be better off restricting use to stay on the trail through specific areas or something like that... in my amateur opinion.

[drm]

But I think it would be irresponsible to just assume the Forest Service closed the trail because of environmental concerns.

That's true too. When they closed a campsite at Soda Peaks Lake, I assumed some kind of environmental concern, camping right next to the water. Ends up that they wanted that space to be for day use for dayhikers. That reason may not apply in the case here, but there are other reasons besides environmental.

[Charley]

There are hundreds of mountain approaches in the Northwest that are braided and messy. I wish the FS would just designate one for each mountain (or route) and try to improve it, even if the improvements take time to put in place. I get really bummed that climbing has such a negative effect, and wish the land managers would concentrate the impact. It might remove some of the "wildness" of the experience, but on many peaks, that wildness is something one can only attain in the winter or in really bad weather any way.

In this case of one clear trail, if the result is people braiding out into the meadow, that seems like a bad move. But I don't know the details.

[kaltbluter]

I understand your concerns about the trail, and you are not alone in your inquiry. We closed the trail (not the meadow) to use because of the damage that trail has and will continue to have on the environment in that area if use continues.

The 1964 Wilderness Act states that “...each agency administering any area designated as wilderness shall be responsible for preserving the wilderness character of the area…”. That’s our job. We maintain system trails to consolidate the impact of visitation and use to a small area, but we do not maintain social trails, which is the category of trail you are describing. While that trail does go through some amazing country, it also has degraded the wilderness character of the area, and is not a necessary route for wilderness visitors.

That route is known as the “climbers route”, which people use to access the high country from that point. Instead, you can hike up the PCT to the south to where we have signed a trail junction with a social trail that says “user trail not maintained”. That trail picks up where the old “climber route” is closed and continues to the high country.

Yes, you can hike off trail anywhere you like with a valid permit as long as the area is not closed to use. If we, the administering agency, find that the use in an area is causing degradation of wilderness character, we will take steps to stop and reverse that process, including closing it to use, in order to fulfill our duty to the public as large. Your climber route is no exception.

A few specifics on that trail: it is creating what’s called a “head cut” through the meadow. A head cut is when a trail sinks down due to compaction and causes a trench, the sides of which drain out the moisture in the surrounding area. In time, this can change the ecology of a meadow, and in this case, could re-route the steam in time. This is not an acceptable outcome for sunshine meadow, which is why we closed that section to use and installed check dams and water bars to reduce the erosion and allow the area to grow back. Volunteers are leading the rehabilitation effort there, and continue to check in and make improvements where necessary.

Thanks for your inquiry. I hope you will continue to have amazing wilderness experiences with your family and will support our efforts to keep Wilderness wild for generations to come.

[sprengers4jc]

I understand your concerns about the trail, and you are not alone in your inquiry. We closed the trail (not the meadow) to use because of the damage that trail has and will continue to have on the environment in that area if use continues.

The 1964 Wilderness Act states that “...each agency administering any area designated as wilderness shall be responsible for preserving the wilderness character of the area…”. That’s our job. We maintain system trails to consolidate the impact of visitation and use to a small area, but we do not maintain social trails, which is the category of trail you are describing. While that trail does go through some amazing country, it also has degraded the wilderness character of the area, and is not a necessary route for wilderness visitors.

That route is known as the “climbers route”, which people use to access the high country from that point. Instead, you can hike up the PCT to the south to where we have signed a trail junction with a social trail that says “user trail not maintained”. That trail picks up where the old “climber route” is closed and continues to the high country.

Yes, you can hike off trail anywhere you like with a valid permit as long as the area is not closed to use. If we, the administering agency, find that the use in an area is causing degradation of wilderness character, we will take steps to stop and reverse that process, including closing it to use, in order to fulfill our duty to the public as large. Your climber route is no exception.

A few specifics on that trail: it is creating what’s called a “head cut” through the meadow. A head cut is when a trail sinks down due to compaction and causes a trench, the sides of which drain out the moisture in the surrounding area. In time, this can change the ecology of a meadow, and in this case, could re-route the steam in time. This is not an acceptable outcome for sunshine meadow, which is why we closed that section to use and installed check dams and water bars to reduce the erosion and allow the area to grow back. Volunteers are leading the rehabilitation effort there, and continue to check in and make improvements where necessary.

Thanks for your inquiry. I hope you will continue to have amazing wilderness experiences with your family and will support our efforts to keep Wilderness wild for generations to come.

Thanks for sharing that response, kaltbluter. Good explanation as to why and what they are hoping to accomplish. I am impressed that they responded so quickly to you as well.

[kepPNW]

I understand your concerns about the trail, and you are not alone in your inquiry. We closed the trail (not the meadow) to use because of the damage that trail has and will continue to have on the environment in that area if use continues.

<snip>

Yes, you can hike off trail anywhere you like with a valid permit as long as the area is not closed to use.

Fascinating! May need to bookmark this.

[Koda]

what permit is needed to hike off trail?

[kaltbluter]

what permit is needed to hike off trail?

The area is in the Obsidian LEA. A permit is required for day use and camping.

[Koda]

I though you only needed a special permit for camping, not dayhiking? does this mean we have to get a limited entry permit to dayhike there, when did this happen?