I moved to Washington 20 years ago after a road trip that was supposed to last a week. I had never seen mountains like the Cascades and Olympics, never stood in a place as staggering as Mount Rainier National Park — and I say this as someone who doesn’t even ski. I went back to California just long enough to pack up my stuff. Washington had me, plain and simple.

A lot of people can relate. Washingtonians love the land — the forests, the trails, the coastline. It’s where we hike, run, walk, and clear our heads. And now, thanks to sweeping federal layoffs, it’s all going to get a lot harder to enjoy safely.

The Trump administration just slashed 4,400 National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service jobs. The Washington Trails Association (WTA) says these cuts include hundreds of people in Region 6 (Washington and Oregon) — staff who maintain trails, clear fallen trees, enforce park rules, assist visitors, clean facilities, issue permits, and, you know, keep things from burning down.

“The harm this causes to public lands and trails will be immediately felt by hikers and will get increasingly worse as time goes on,” WTA warned in a recent blog post. “These cuts are ill-conceived, irresponsible, and potentially catastrophic for our trails and public lands.”

The Forest Service manages more public lands here in Washington than any other government agency. With these layoffs, countless trails across the state are at risk of becoming overgrown and unusable, potentially for years to come. 

“It only takes a season or two for trails to become entirely impassable to hikers or stock without staff at the Forest Service and National Park Service to coordinate and prioritize maintenance,” WTA reported. And without regular maintenance, erosion worsens, ecosystems suffer, and the damage gets harder to undo.

How bad is it? The team managing the Enchantments, one of the most visited wilderness areas in the state, has been cut from 13 people to just three. Franklin Falls and Denny Creek trailheads are currently closed due to lack of staff. This year, there won’t be any Forest Service employees maintaining trails like Snow Lake, Dog Mountain, and Lena Lake. And signs near Snoqualmie Pass have also been posted warning of closures due to staffing shortages. So if you’re hoping to hit some of Washington’s 9,000 miles of trails this summer, bring a machete. 

Ninety percent of Washingtonians use trails each year, and outdoor recreation brings in $26.5 billion annually. Fewer trails, fewer visitors, less money. Great plan.

What You Can Do:

• Join WTA’s Hiker Rally Day on March 18. Speak directly with state representatives about protecting funding for trails and outdoor spaces.
• Contact our representatives and remind them that trails don’t maintain themselves.
• Donate or volunteer with WTA, The Wilderness Society, or Outdoor Alliance.
• Keep the conversation going. Talk about this with your family, your friends, your coworkers — anyone and everyone.
• Stay informed — closures and advocacy updates are available through WTA.
• Recreate responsibly. We all share the land.