Washington's summer hiking season is ramping up, but many popular recreation areas remain difficult — or impossible — to reach after last winter's flooding and storms caused widespread damage.

Why it matters: Road washouts, fire damage and storm impacts are still limiting access across the Olympics and Cascades, with repair costs likely to run into the tens of millions of dollars, the Seattle Times reports.

Zoom in: Some of the biggest impacts are being felt at destinations familiar to Seattle-area hikers, according to the Times.

• The entrance to Staircase remains closed. The Olympic National Park area near Lake Cushman is still recovering from last year's Bear Gulch Fire, and park officials say visitors should not expect it to fully reopen this year.
• Getting to Blanca Lake in the Henry M. Jackson wilderness is more complicated. Beckler River Road remains closed, affecting vehicle access to one of Washington's most popular alpine lake hikes.
• The Suiattle River Trail remains inaccessible by road. Winter flooding carved a large channel through Suiattle River Road, preventing access to recreation sites and large sections of the Glacier Peak Wilderness.
• Index-Galena Road has new washouts. Snohomish County estimates repairs will cost about $900,000.
• Several upper Methow recreation sites remain inaccessible.

The bright spot: Olympic National Park reopened Graves Creek Road in late May, restoring vehicle access to the trailhead used by visitors heading to Enchanted Valley.

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Children's well-being has declined in Washington state, driven partly by a rise in kids without health insurance, a new report finds.

The big picture: Washington is one of 29 U.S. states where kids fared worse in 2024 than before the pandemic, according to the report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

• Washington ranked 17th for overall child well-being, down from 16th last year and 12th in 2020.

Zoom in: The share of Washington children who were uninsured rose from about 3% in 2019 to roughly 4% in 2024 — "a significant driver in our falling ranking overall," according to a press release from Children's Alliance, a Washington state advocacy group.

What they're saying: The drop in health coverage "coincides with the sunsetting of pandemic-era assistance policies, which likely contributed to a negative impact on coverage rates," Soleil Boyd, executive director of the Children's Alliance, said in a news release.

• "We know that when families do not have health insurance, they are less likely to get the care they need," Boyd said.

Between the lines: The data, which runs through 2024, doesn't include effects of more recent cuts to Medicaid or the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.

• Boyd said she is "concerned that this worrying trend will be compounded by the cuts to essential programs imposed by the Trump administration."
• Washington's Office of the Insurance Commissioner is "seeing people drop their health insurance due to rising costs, especially after Congress failed to fund the enhanced premium tax credits that helped more people afford their coverage," agency spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis told Axios.

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⚽️ Seattle's first World Cup match drew 66,775 fans Monday, filling all but about 200 seats at the stadium. (KIRO 7)

⚡️ A "small-scale" data center is being proposed for the lower level of the Starbucks headquarters building in Sodo.

• Because of its limited size, it wouldn't run afoul of the moratorium on large data centers that the City Council passed last week. (Seattle Times)

⚖️ Stalking charges against King County Assessor John Wilson were dropped after prosecutors cited new evidence — including texts to him from his ex-fiancée, who released a statement Monday saying she was withdrawing support for the criminal case. (KUOW)

🩺 Providence Swedish and Tacoma's Community Health Care are eliminating a combined 14 family medicine residency slots, raising concerns about physician shortages and access to care. (MedPage Today)

Puget Sound's lowest tides of the year arrived this week, exposing beaches, tide pools and marine life that are normally hidden underwater.

Negative tides expose eelgrass beds and tide pools where visitors can spot sea stars, sea anemones, crabs, moon snails and other coastal critters.

NOAA forecasts such tides through Friday, here are Seattle's upcoming lowest of the lows:

• Wednesday: -3.6 feet at 1:10pm.
• Thursday: -2.6 feet at 1:59pm.
• Friday: -1.3 feet at 2:49pm.

Where to go: Check out Pioneer Square Habitat Beach, the restored urban beach next to Seattle's ferry terminal.

• Opened as part of the waterfront overhaul, the beach gives visitors a chance to get close to the water — and spot marine life during low tides — without leaving downtown

Other options: Golden Gardens in Ballard, Carkeek Park, Constellation Park at Alki Point, Seahurst Park in Burien and Saltwater State Park in Des Moines.

What to know: Arrive about an hour before low tide and watch your step. Eelgrass beds and other intertidal habitats can be damaged by foot traffic, and marine life is especially vulnerable when the water recedes.

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We were drawn in by this kitty's piercing eyes.

Biscotti (also called Cocoa) loves basking in the sun and watching crows and seagulls fly by the window, owner Angie F. tells us.

• He also loves to tussle with plastic bags, but hates when his litter box is changed — he gets possessive, Angie says.

You can follow Biscotti on Instagram: @biscuitkitty206.

• Follow our new Axios Seattle IG while you're at it!

📸 Got a pet that deserves the spotlight? Hit reply and send us their name, some cute pics and what they most like and dislike. They might just become our next featured star!