As the webmaster of Hiketricities.com, I’ve had several inquiries about closing the trails on Badger Mountain. A local radio station has run an April Fool’s joke for a couple of years (its getting a little old now) saying there will be charges for hiking or closures or some form of that misinformation. Well, I went to the source to give you all the latest and most correct information on whether Badger Mountain hiking will be closed or restricted.
Dallas Road Trailhead Improvements
According to Adam Fyall, Benton County Sustainable Development manager, there will be some construction at the Dallas Road Trailhead (The best access for the Skyline Trail and the west end of the new Langdon Trail). This will include improvements and modifications to the parking area to help ease overcrowding. The contractor will also chip seal the access road to the parking area from Dallas Road to the gate. These will both be welcomed improvements as the access road is very rough and full of washboards. Fyall says the trailhead will be closed between 3 days and 1 week to complete the updates. There will be no trailhead access during construction but ALL Badger Mountain Trails will remain opened. You just won’t be able to enter or exit at the Dallas Road trailhead, you’ll have to access all of the trails from Trailhead Park in Richland on Queensgate.
Volunteers hand out water and snacks at the half-way post near the Dallas Road/Skyline Trailhead
Date to be determined
Fyall says the date for construction is not yet nailed down but he expects it to occur in the next month and there will be signs posted ahead of time to alert hikers, bikers and other trail travelers. You can check back to hiketricities.com for updates on the exact times for closure and reopening. It should be a nice improvement with just a little bit of inconvenience.