Across some of the country’s most beloved landscapes, hikers are arriving at trailheads to find locked gates, warning tape, and blunt closure notices. Officials say the sudden shutdown of dozens of routes is not a bureaucratic glitch but a direct response to rapidly escalating dangers on the ground. The chilling throughline, from flooded canyons to unstable cliffs and even deadly wildlife encounters, is that the backcountry is changing faster than the systems built to keep people safe.
What is unfolding on these paths is a preview of how a warming, more volatile planet collides with a booming outdoor recreation boom. Trails that once offered predictable escape now sit at the intersection of extreme weather, eroding geology, and surging visitor numbers, forcing land managers into hard choices about who gets access, and when.
The “never before” factor behind mass closures
When Officials moved to abruptly close dozens of hiking routes earlier this month, they framed the decision as a response to conditions they described as unprecedented. In their words, “Never before have we seen [this],” a stark acknowledgment that the combination of damage and risk now confronting popular paths is outside the playbook that has guided routine seasonal closures in the past. Those same Officials have stressed that the shutdowns are not about keeping people out for its own sake, but about buying time to assess whether heavily used corridors can be kept in an adequate state of repair for the crowds that rely on them for everyday exercise and mental health breaks, as well as for visitors traveling long distances to hike.
The warning lands at a moment when They, meaning destination trails and scenic regions, are drawing record numbers of people seeking slower travel, cooler temperatures, and what they hope will be more authentic experiences in nature. Reporting on how weather, climate change and human presence are reshaping these places notes that They are luring visitors who want to escape soaring summer temperature, even as the very forces driving that heat are destabilizing the paths under their boots. Over the past few years, managers have increasingly resorted to timed entries, higher visitor fees, or closing altogether to cope with the strain, a pattern that now underpins the latest wave of closures linked to climate and safety concerns.
Atmospheric rivers, “unrecognizable” trails, and a battered Columbia River Gor
Nowhere are the new hazards more visible than in the Pacific Northwest, where Atmospheric river-fueled storms recently brought historic flooding to the Columbia River Gorge and surrounding foothills. Officials in the Pacific Northwest describe entire segments of canyon trails buried under debris, footbridges ripped from their anchors, and slopes scoured by torrents that undercut root systems and toppled trees. In some of the hardest hit pockets of the Columbia River Gor, crews have reported “a ton” of downed timber and washouts that make once straightforward day hikes feel like obstacle courses, prompting Officials to say that popular routes are effectively unrecognizable and must remain closed until basic safety can be restored.
Two of the most popular trails in the Columbia River Gor, Eagle Creek and Wahclella Falls, have now been shut for the long term after suffering a one-two punch of wildfire and flood. Reporter Zach Urness, writing for the Salem Statesman Journal, notes that Updated Jan assessments tie the current damage to both the original Eagle Creek Fire, which burned both pathways, and the latest storms that exploited that burn scar. According to follow up reporting, heavy rains left Eagle Creek “unrecognizable,” with the Forest Service explaining that crews have not even been able to survey the full extent of the destruction, a sobering detail for a canyon that typically hosts thousands of hikers during peak months. The combination of charred slopes, loosened soil, and repeated deluges has turned a marquee destination into a case study in how quickly a trail can cross from iconic to off-limits.
From Mt. Baldy to Glenhaven: safety crises far beyond Oregon
The same pattern of compounding risk is playing out far from the mossy walls of the Gorge. In Southern California, the steep network of paths around Mt. Baldy has become a flashpoint after a series of hiker deaths and brutal winter storms. Here, in a detailed warning to visitors, climate and environment reporter Destiny Torres explained that Here, on slopes that can look benign from Los Angeles, ice, wind, and sudden whiteouts have repeatedly turned routine outings into rescues. Published Jan guidance for Mt. Baldy now emphasizes that even when trails reopen, conditions can shift by the hour, and that crampons, avalanche awareness, and a willingness to turn back are no longer optional for anyone venturing above the ski lifts.
Farther inland, in the foothills near Glenhaven, Colorado, the threat is not falling rock or floodwater but a predator pushed into closer contact with people. The Crozier Trail in Glenhaven has been sealed off after what officials described as a fatal wildlife encounter believed to involve a mountain lion, a rare but devastating reminder that as more hikers pour into narrow canyons and forested benches, the margin for coexistence can shrink. Video from the closure shows deputies and wildlife officers posting signs and explaining that the trail will remain off limits at least until investigators finish documenting the scene and determining whether the animal can be located, a process that underscores how quickly a beloved local loop can become a crime scene in the backcountry.
Climate change is destabilizing mountains from Oregon to Switzerland
Behind the immediate closures sits a slower, more pervasive driver: a climate system that is loading the dice for extreme events and structural instability. Scientists tracking alpine regions have warned that Prolonged and intense precipitation favours rockfalls, torrents and landslides in some places, a pattern that is now visible in the scarred walls above Eagle Creek and Wahclella Falls. Those same experts note that Rockfalls tend to increase after heavy rain or rapid snowmelt, meaning that what used to be a once-in-a-decade slide path can now see repeated failures within a few seasons, each one chewing away at trail benches and undercutting retaining walls that were never engineered for such punishment.
In high mountain regions of Europe, officials are sounding similar alarms. Environment director Katrin Schneeberger has warned that the thawing of permafrost is a major problem that is making mountains less stable, resulting in more frequent landslides and rockfalls, a trend that directly threatens popular hiking and climbing routes in Switzerland. Her comments, shared through an international risk platform, echo the concerns of land managers in North America who are watching familiar ridgelines fracture and slump. When I look at the closures in the Columbia River Gor alongside warnings from Swiss authorities, the pattern is clear: the physical foundations of our trails are literally shifting beneath us, and no amount of volunteer maintenance can fully offset that structural change.
Iconic long trails are being rerouted, not spared
Even the continent’s marquee long-distance paths are not immune. The Appalachian Trail will look a little bit different this year as crews continue the cleanup from Hurr impacts that tore through the southern Appalachians in 2024. Regional managers have already warned that sections may be rerouted onto lower elevation alternatives such as the Iron Mountain Trail, and that hikers should expect lingering blowdowns, washed out footbridges, and temporary detours that can add unplanned miles. For a route that has long marketed itself as a continuous “green tunnel,” the new reality is a patchwork of workarounds stitched together in response to storms that have grown both stronger and more erratic.
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