[cascadeclimber]

Oh look, a dog-rant thread that I didn't start Those things that people are suggesting would be nice, but they won't happen because they increased fixed costs instead of just being one-time capital expenses. As I mentioned, they already don't have enough money to maintain the infrastructure that they have, so all they can do is build more capital projects and pretend there won't be fixed costs associated. On top of that, the WTA, whom I understand gets paid to do some trail maintenance that they have volunteers actually do, has a hard time getting volunteers to work on more difficult/less accessible trails. This is why Poo Poo Point is absurdly over-maintained (Hey, let's add some switchbacks to those switchbacks!) while other trails get very little attention. As-is there is too much focus on biggering and not nearly enough on bettering, which in my opinion includes diversity of experience and access to solitude.

[Kim Brown]

[puzzlr]

A couple days ago the DNR published a revised plan for the West Snoqualmie Corridor Recreation Planning Area - Phase 3 project after receiving 567 comments. The document and updated maps are available at the Other Projects site. This thread is about High Point, but the docs have a lot more about the Raging River valley and Tiger Summit plans. The main changes are (quoted from the doc)

1. We have removed the proposed trail connection to Preston because there is currently no legal public access and because of concerns about possible impacts to the local community.
2. The planned improvements at High Point will be adjusted and phased to de-prioritize parking and instead prioritize a) construction of a safe exit from the highway/entrance to the forest and b) a collaborative process with tribal partners and stakeholders on signage, messaging, storytelling, and infrastructure that supports environmental and cultural education.
3. We will take a phased approach to new trail construction in order to allow time to consider research findings from an ongoing study, which DNR is currently participating in and which seeks to better understand the impacts of recreational use on wildlife more broadly than the threatened, endangered and sensitive species that were already considered in the recreation suitability analysis.

Revised High Point plan

[thunderhead]

[Huron]

Agree. Big waste. I don't see anything this does other than act as a vehicle for tribal propaganda. Since when are tribes "partners"?

[Malachai Constant]

Ey carumba, all I see is a forest circle, renaming some existing routes, a reduction of parking, and addition of some large signs which will be tagged a month after instillation. So it goes.

[zimmertr]

It looks like the parallel parking slashes end a few hundred feet from the roundabout. I hope they don't close parking along the road between there and the gate/CL pullout. That would suck a lot.

[Malachai Constant]

If they designate an “official” path under the freeway then they can require a Discovery Pass at the North Highpoint parking lot.