Month of rainstorms takes its toll on roads and trails in national parks, forests

Recent rainstorms heavily damaged many hiking trails and roads in Cascades and Olympic park areas.

Mount Rainier National Park was hit the hardest by flood waters earlier this month, with all roads and entrances leading into the park still closed until further notice.

Damage at Mount Rainier includes five roads, four campgrounds (Sunshine Point Campground was swept away), one amphitheater, three buildings and parkwide trails. Park officials won't know the extent of damage to trails until the snow melts in the spring. For updates, call 360-569-2211.

Other roads and trails throughout the Cascades, including the Gifford Pinchot and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests, have also sustained damage.

Olympic National Park roads and trails were also hit hard, and park staff are working to reopen some damaged areas.

The popular Hoh Rain Forest remains inaccessible because of road washouts, and no date has been announced for reopening the area. Most of the Hoh Road damage occurred at West Twin Creek and Taft Creek.

Other roads still closed as of Monday were the Mora, Soleduck, Grays Creek, North Shore and Queets at Matheny Creek Bridge. The South Shore road was open to Bunch Fields. Details: 360-565-3131.

Washington Trails Association reports that early limited assessments and flyovers have indicated a lot of damage to low to midelevation trails throughout the state, including severe slumps and washouts, and dozens of washed-away bridges. Details: www.nps.gov/mora, www.nps.gov/olym or www.wta.org.

Those looking to burn off some Thanksgiving calories can do so today at open ski areas including Crystal Mountain, Stevens Pass, Summit West at Snoqualmie, Mount Baker and possibly White Pass, depending on conditions. For up-to-the-minute reports on hours, conditions and prices, see seattle times.com/snowsports.

Snowmaking and early snowfall has allowed Mission Ridge (www.missionridge.com) to announce a Friday opening. A new snowmaking system covers 66 acres on six trails accessed by three of the four lifts, including the Liberator Express and the Terrain Park.

To the north in British Columbia, Whistler Blackcomb Resort (www.whistlerblackcomb.com) is open daily, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

The state Fish and Wildlife Department asks the public to report dead or ill swans in Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties.

Some trumpeter swans in Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties, and in Southwestern British Columbia, each winter are poisoned by ingesting lead shot from shotguns. Lead shot has been banned for waterfowl hunting for more than a decade, but biologists believe swans are likely reaching shallow underwater areas where spent lead shot remains.

Callers are asked to leave a message including their name and phone number, and the location and condition of the swans, at 360-466-4345, ext. 266.

The Nisqually Stream Stewards Program is looking for volunteers to help monitor streams within the Nisqually River watershed during salmon spawning season. Training will be held 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, 100 Brown Farm Road, at Exit 114 off Interstate 5, north of Olympia. Details: 360-438-8687 or e-mail dperry@nwifc.org.

The Deception Pass Dash Kayak Race is Dec. 3 at Bowman Bay. The five-mile event, hosted by Seattle Raft and Kayak, runs through some of the most challenging water currents in the state. Details: 206-528-1700 or www.seattleraftandkayak.com.

Mark Yuasa can be reached at 206-464-8780; e-mail: myuasa@seattletimes.com; fax: 206-464-3255; address: P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111.