The Dianne and Joe Hofbeck Pasayten Wilderness Trails Trust (the Trails Trust) provides funds directly to the United States Forest Service for
the development and maintenance of trails in the Pasayten Wilderness.
the development and maintenance of trails in the Pasayten Wilderness.
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"The Pasayten Wilderness encompasses 531,000 acres, skirting more than 50 miles of Canada's border and encompassing the crest of the Cascades. The Wilderness encompasses almost 150 peaks over 7,500 feet in elevation, 160 or more bodies of water, and at least as many waterways, some turbulent enough to have carved sharp canyons with sheer walls."
US Forest Service The Pasayten is the largest roadless area in Washington State and the second largest wilderness area. The farthest one can get away from a major metropolitan area in Washington is in the Pasayten. It is listed on Trips Discover as on of nineteen of the world's last remaining true wilderness destinations. The Pasayten Wilderness has over 800 miles of trails on the Register. Only about 200 miles of those are maintained annually. There has been a push recently by well-meaning individuals and groups to open “Lost Trails.” The reason those trails were “Lost” was simply because the Forest Service did not have the funds to maintain them. In fact, there has been work by volunteers and organizations to actually open some trails. But those efforts will be wasted and the trails again fall into disrepair unless those groups and/or the Forest Service also make a commitment to annually maintain those newly opened trails. It is unlikely that the Forest Service will get additional new federal funds to increase their miles of trails maintained. Additional funds for increased trail maintenance will need to be from trail user organizations, grants from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office and foundations and trusts such as the Dianne and Joe Hofbeck Pasayten Trails Trust. |