Phased opening planned for Washington’s national forests in late May

The entrance to Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Forest Service announced that it is working towards a phased opening in late May for the national forests in Washington state.

The agency said it is conducting a review of the agency’s recreation sites in the coming weeks and is hoping to open national forest trail heads and sites by the end of the month.

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The opening will be done in accordance with Gov. Inslee's stay-at-home order and the planned four phases of reopening laid out by the state.

Because many of the sites have been closed all winter, they need work in order to safely open them. The work was delayed by the pandemic.