A population explosion on popular trails: One more impact of growth
Ex-State Sen. Rodney Tom used to have the stiff hike up Mailbox Peak to himself or his hiking party, but now there is a Trailhead Direct bus that transports hikers to the trail.
"There were 75-plus people up there" the last time he did the hike, Tom joked in an interview last week.
Retired longtime Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest trails/recreation director Gary Paull recalls the "Jungle Jim trail" climbing up a mile of roots to reach Lake Serene in a cirque at the base of Mt. Index.
"Build it and they will come," joked Paull, who oversaw construction of a new, rational Lake Serene trail. "I think I last counted 95 cars in the parking area, not counting those parked up and down the road," he said.
The phenomenal growth of Puget Sound population centers has put more cars on the road, and bunched together apartment buildings in Seattle. But it has also caused an explosion of popularity up in the mountains where people used to go for solitude.
The upsurge in use has coincided with a downturn in resources available to maintain trails and repair old logging roads leading to trailheads.
"The trail system is shrinking as use has gone up," said Paull. "Likewise with the road system. The number of places you can drive to (the trailhead) is shrinking."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-population-explosion-on-popular-trails-one-more-impact-of-growth/ar-AAHM6hU