Skykomish Ranger District Moves Forward with Blanca Lake/Heybrook Ridge Trail Improvements
Earlier this month, the Skykomish Ranger District issued two memos moving forward with the Blanca Lake Trail maintenance and the construction of the Heybrook Ridge Connecting Trail after Washington Wild submitted comments. This is great news as these improvements will make these areas more accessible and sustainable.
On August 31st, Washington Wild submitted a letter to Skykomish Ranger District with 19 conservation, recreation and wildlife organizations strongly support the Blanca Lake Trail relocation and the construction of the Heybrook Ridge Connecting Trail. Both of these projects would maintain and enhance recreational access for residents of Index, Gold Bar, and Skykomish as well as visitors to some of the Skykomish Valley’s most popular and stunning trails. These proposed trail improvements or connections allow for more sustainable recreational use in areas that already provide hiking and other recreational use.
Blanca Lake is one of the most stunning alpine lakes in the region whose popularity continues to grow as hikers are drawn to its turquoise blue waters and stunning peaks. The outlined improvements would create sustainable access and increased safety for all those who wish to enjoy its beauty. The proposed trail work includes reroutes of switchbacks, would receive tread and drainage work (i.e. native rock or log water bars), rock steps, and native log or rock stairways. Many switchbacks would have native log switchback barriers, utilizing downed logs.
More info can be found here:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=58397
https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=58398
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