3,500 Volunteers Build Trails Across Washington State

Deep in a Snohomish County forest, volunteers are carving hope into the landscape, one shovelful at a time.

The Washington Trails Association has been mobilizing everyday people to maintain the state's hiking trails for over 30 years. This year, an average of 3,500 volunteers will contribute a staggering 160,000 hours of work across federal, state, and local parks.

Right now, crews are building a 500-foot accessible loop near Lake Cassidy off the Centennial Trail. The trail will meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards, welcoming wheelchairs and mobility devices into the forest. When it opens this summer, it will represent hundreds of volunteer hours transforming raw dirt into a welcoming path.

Cindy Ferraro retired from her therapy career last year and immediately signed up. She's already earned her personalized green hard hat after five days of work, decorated with stickers reading "Lopper" as a playful nod to Cyndi Lauper and her favorite trail tool.

Bob Adler has volunteered for 28 years, logging over 700 days of trail work. On a recent April morning, he sang railroad songs and clapped along to the rhythm of jackhammers as volunteers secured wooden turnpikes.

The work is physically demanding. WTA's chief program officer Kindra Ramos calls it "extreme gardening." Volunteers measure trail widths, saw through fallen logs, trim low-hanging branches with extendable pole saws, and haul tons of rock and gravel.

The Ripple Effect

This spring, many projects focus on repairing damage from December's devastating floods and storms. With federal cuts reducing Forest Service and National Park Service staff, volunteer efforts have become critical to keeping Washington's trails open and safe.

Snohomish County Parks Director Sharon Walker calls WTA "fantastic partners" who bring both expertise and passionate people to challenging projects. The Lake Cassidy trail fulfills requirements from a 1992 state grant, finally making the forest accessible to everyone regardless of mobility.

Individual work parties often fill up with waitlists, but crew leader Andy James encourages newcomers not to give up. The organization's unofficial motto captures their welcoming spirit: "We Take Anybody."

Between candy breaks and good-natured jokes, these volunteers are doing more than building trails—they're building community, one section of accessible pathway at a time.