Vesper Peak on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. (National Forest Foundation)
The Mountain Loop Highway has been a popular recreation area since the 1930s. This week, the Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation announced the launch of a multi-year initiative to make some big improvements to trails, campgrounds, and other destinations along the route.
Mountain Loop Highway is the official name of a road between Granite Falls and Barlow Pass, and the unofficial collective name for a series of connected roads in Snohomish County that follow the south fork and the north fork of the Stillaguamish River, and part of the Sauk River, through the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The name “Mountain Loop Highway” first came into wide use in the 1950s, but advocates for its construction were calling it that as early as 1931.
Erik Hecht/Getty Images J.D. Simkins – May 6, 2021
Washington stateâs Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie has been designated as a Treasured Landscape by the congressionally-chartered National Forest Foundation as part of a joint four-year effort to improve and restore the oft-visited region near Seattle.
The 1.7 million-acre national forest on the western edge of the Cascades is highlighted by rainforests, mountain meadows, glaciers, and the ever-popular Big Four Ice Caves, stunning attractions that draw nearly 3 million visitors each year.
Joining the NFF in the $14 million initiative will be the U.S. Forest Service, which will contribute resources to fix up campgrounds and recreation areas while promoting inclusivity, particularly along the Mountain Loop Highway, a designated National Scenic Byway that runs alongside the Sauk and Stillaguamish rivers and offers nearly 150 access points to activities like hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, rock climbing, and fishing
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U.S. Forest Service: $45,000 worth of vital wildfire-fighting equipment stolen from guard station
By Q13 News Staff
Photo of Baker River Hotshot firefighters courtesy US Forest Service
CONCRETE, Wash. - The U.S. Forest Service is asking the public for help in identifying the suspects who stole an estimated $45,000 worth of wildfire-fighting equipment from a guard station in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
The Forest Service said the theft happened the weekend of Dec. 18-21, 2020, at the Koma Kulshan Guard Station near Concrete that houses the Baker River Hotshot Crew wildland firefighters.
The Baker River Hotshots, officially known as an Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC), is comprised of 20-22 wildland firefighters who respond to large, high-priority fires across the country, according to the Forest Service.