Parade Valley trails close for one day for storm-season repairs

Snohomish County Parks will close most of Paradise Valley Conservation Area on Wednesday, October 29, to build a temporary trail reroute. The closure is a safety measure taken before winter storms arrive. The new path opens to the public on Thursday, October 30.

Parks staff recently completed a forest health survey at the 793-acre site. The survey identified hundreds of trees in a 64-acre section that are suffering from advanced laminated root rot. This fungal disease weakens the root systems of the Douglas firs, creating a risk that the trees could fall on hikers. The affected zone was previously a single-species plantation that was never harvested before the county took ownership.

The closure on Wednesday covers the Cascara Trail, Whispering Firs, Mainline Trail, and Lloyd Loop. The Lloyd family barn and its associated outbuildings are also closed to visitors. The new trail connects these areas to the Wetland Plateau Trail, which remains open because it is in an unaffected part of the park.

County officials explained that the monoculture planting makes the forest more vulnerable to natural pathogens than a diverse native forest would be. The temporary reroute allows users to access the healthy portions of the conservation area while crews work on the hazardous section.

Parks is developing a long-term action plan to restore the health of the forest. The plan aims to remove the dead and dying Douglas firs. Crews will then plant species that are resistant to laminated root rot, such as hemlock and redcedar. This mix of trees is expected to reduce the spread of the disease in the future.

The timeline for fully reopening the 64-acre closed section is not yet fixed. Parks staff hope to remove the diseased trees in the fall of 2027. After re-planting the area in late winter of 2028, the park expects to reopen that section to the public.