Forty miles from downtown Seattle lies a wilderness retreat carved by a Wild and Scenic River — the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley. The river and its forested valley offer outdoor opportunities for everyone, from trails to high mountain ascents to riverside beaches.

And nearly the entire Valley is publicly owned. It is managed by the US Forest Service, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, and King County.

To celebrate National Public Lands Day, volunteers from across the region came out on Saturday, Sept. 24 to repair several popular Middle Fork trails, including Mailbox Peak, the new Granite Creek Trail, and the Middle Fork Trail. Afterward, REI Co-op hosted an after party for volunteers and public land managers at Valley Camp.

“The work needed to maintain our public lands in the Middle Fork Valley is enormous. The resources are limited, and have become even more so for the state and federal land managers,” said Tor Bell, field programs director for the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust. “The work that community volunteers do is pivotal in supporting their efforts to manage these lands holistically for all of us.”

Volunteers not only learned about trail maintenance but also how they can effect positive changes by advocating for the Valley.

“We all have to roll up our sleeves and learn how these trails are built, how this land is conserved, and how we can educate all of our friends and our communities on how to make a difference out here,” said Doug McClelland, assistant region manager for Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

“I challenge you to take the hard work you did today and come back in the spring or in the summer and bring a few friends with you,” said McClelland. “Tell them how difficult it was to make this amazing landscape. We all need to remember to not take it for granted.”