Jump to content

Status: Roads and Trails


hydnsek

Recommended Posts

The North Cascades Highway closed yesterday due to forecast heavy snow. This is the first time we have seen it close just due to a forecast [:anicute:]. It might reopen but in our experience this seldom has happened.

Barnabirdy(s)

Sounds like they are worried about avalanche danger from the storm. It's snowing like crazy here in Newcastle right now! About an inch so far.

 

The North Cascades Highway is closed, at least temporarily. A risk of avalanches accompanying expected heavy snow and 80-to-100-mph winds led to the state Department of Transportation's decision to close the Highway 20 mountain passes last night. DOT said it will evaluate the road and avalanche conditions early next week to see whether the highway can be reopened. However, it is likely the passes may stay closed for the season. The Highway 20 passes typically close for winter between the first week of November and the second week of December, reopening between from late March to early May.

Edited by hydnsek
Link to comment

It's official:

 

North Cascades Highway closed for the season

 

Following an assessment of snow conditions that revealed huge accumulations on the roadway, the North Cascades Highway was officially closed for the season at noon today. "The heavy rain that's still coming down, soaked the 3 to 5 feet of snow that had accumulated in the avalanche chutes over the past three days, causing them to dump big piles of heavy, wet snow onto the highway," said Twisp Maintenance supervisor Don Becker.

 

It would take an effort on par with a spring reopening to clear the highway, and Becker says, "Obviously, it doesn't make much sense to even consider starting a reopening that would take weeks, not days, even if we didn't get any more snow." Today, the crew is clearing the highway up to the east closure gate. Becker says the snow was 40 inches deep at the Silver Star Gate Monday, but the rain turned that into 27 inches of heavy wet snow by this morning.

 

The Highway 20 gates are closed from Mile Post 134 seven miles east of Diablo Dam on the west side of 4,855-foot Rainy Pass and Mile Post 171 nine miles west of Mazama on the east side of 5,477-foot Washington Pass.

 

The North Cascades Highway usually closes between Thanksgiving week and mid-December, re-opening in late April or early May. The highway closed Nov. 13 last year and reopened April 26 this year.

Link to comment

Time to bump this thread, just in case it ever stops snowing and we can start hiking again. ;)

 

My April WTA newsletter reports this:

 

Access to Cascade Pass Blocked this Summer

 

Will you be able to hike to Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm this summer? It's not a sure thing.

 

Officials from the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and Skagit County are in a dispute over who will fund and repair a damaged bridge on the Cascade River Road. In last December's storm, landslides crashed into the Hard Creek Bridge, located at milepost 12.7. The road provides access to Cascade Pass, one of the most popular and spectacular hikes in the North Cascades.

 

Early this year, the county was denied a FEMA grant for repairs of the bridge, said Jeff Miller, assistant public works director for the county. As a result, Miller told me "the road will probably not open this summer." Miller said that without federal funds, the county could not afford to spend the estimated $.5 to $1 million required for a new bridge, especially considering the county's entire roads budget is just $4 million. He did think it was possible a temporary bridge could be constructed by late summer, but without funding nothing was certain.

 

Skagit county and the Forest Service have exchanged letters about the county's attempts to abandon its responsibility for maintaining the Cascade River Road. The Forest Service has countered that the county is solely responsible, since the road was first created in the late 1800s and predates even the existence of the Forest Service. The road was considered for a cross-Cascades highway in the mid-20th century until plans were abandoned.

Link to comment

Also, is there any estimate of when the Snoqualmie tunnel will reopen? I drove through the pass today and there is a ton of snow still there. The state DOT is reporting 115 inches base left after three inches of new on Monday.

B) Estimate when there will be 5 inches left. ;)

I figure that to be sometime late August. :D

Edited by TotemLake
Link to comment

Also, is there any estimate of when the Snoqualmie tunnel will reopen? I drove through the pass today and there is a ton of snow still there. The state DOT is reporting 115 inches base left after three inches of new on Monday.

 

I called the phone number given on the APE cache page, and it said mid to late May. I had been planning to organize an APE cache trip for Ellensburg and surrounding area cachers, but the uncertainty of the tunnel opening essentially nixed that plan until fall.

Link to comment

Also, is there any estimate of when the Snoqualmie tunnel will reopen? I drove through the pass today and there is a ton of snow still there. The state DOT is reporting 115 inches base left after three inches of new on Monday.

 

I called the phone number given on the APE cache page, and it said mid to late May. I had been planning to organize an APE cache trip for Ellensburg and surrounding area cachers, but the uncertainty of the tunnel opening essentially nixed that plan until fall.

I did three caches on campus at CWU yesterday. Some good ones I might add.

 

Sorry, but that was all I had time for.

 

And now back to the topic. I'm thinking June or so for the tunnel. It will take quite some time to melt all that snow up there. It looked like mid skiing season up there.

Link to comment

WOW! Dispite record snows, the North Cascades opens EARLY

 

North Cascades Now Open

 

DARRINGTON - Right on schedule, the North Cascades Highway opened to traffic at 8 a.m. today.

 

The first drivers in line when the gates swung open found bare and wet road conditions with temperatures at the summits of Rainy and Washington passes right around the freezing level, state Department of Transportation maintenance crews said.

 

A trace of new snow fell at about 11 p.m. Wednesday and again about 4 a.m. today, but nothing delayed the opening.

 

Crews had been working since late March to open the highway, which closes each winter because of heavy snow and the danger of avalanches. The 69-mile stretch of mountainous road, which is part of Highway 20, had been closed since Dec. 4.

 

Highway 20 is one of four highways that link the west side of the state to the east side, across the Cascade Range. The highway provides an important link for the communities of Darrington and Arlington along Highway 530, which connects with the North Cascades route at Rockport.

 

The weather forecast calls for no more precipitation today and an afternoon high temperature near 60. Another front may bring light rain or possibly snow at the summits on Friday and Saturday nights, but daytime highs will remain in the 60s, allowing for a nice ride for drivers, transportation department spokesman Dustin Terpening said.

 

Just about every year the North Cascades Highway is closed for the winter and generally reopens to traffic in April or May.

 

In some years it reopens early, as it did in 2005 when it opened March 10. The latest opening was June 14, 1974. And the highway never closed during the drought winter of 1976-77.

 

Drivers headed over the pass can dial 511 from most phones to get updated road information from the state Department of Transportation. Information also is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/northcascades.

Link to comment

WOW! Dispite record snows, the North Cascades opens EARLY

 

North Cascades Now Open

 

DARRINGTON - Right on schedule, the North Cascades Highway opened to traffic at 8 a.m. today.

 

Actually, they predicted a May 1 opening in late March, but I'm still impressed they made it on schedule. Kudos to our DOT. :) Re-enabling my 'new' earthcache along that stretch of highway.

Edited by hydnsek
Link to comment

Actually, they predicted a May 1 opening in late March, but I'm still impressed they made it on schedule. Kudos to our DOT. Re-enabling my 'new' earthcache along that stretch of highway.

 

Yay for the highway.....and yay for the earthcache!

 

Maybe Spring really is coming.

I think we skipped Spring and jumped right into Summer. The current heat wave has create high avalanche danger in the Cascades, and mountain passes could be impacted. Hwy 20 is again closed near Liberty Bell due to a slide. Per the Seattle Times today:

 

Avalanche danger soars on mountain roads and in backcountry; North Cascades Highway already closed by slide

 

Just as the weather finally heats up for the weekend, mountain-pass highways in Washington could be forced to close because of avalanches. The North Cascades Highway (Highway 20) already closed this afternoon because of a snow slide on the road near Liberty Bell mountain, and will remain closed at least until Monday.

 

Backcountry users in Washington's Cascades and Olympics and in Northern Oregon also are being warned of high avalanche danger and to avoid recreation near any possible avalanche areas for today, Friday and possibly through the weekend.

 

Temperatures that began quickly rising today are rapidly melting and destabilizing the deep snowpack and threaten to touch off extensive avalanches. By Friday, temperatures in some Washington mountain areas are expected to be 30 degrees higher than earlier in the week; Snoqualmie Pass could be in the mid 80s.

 

For the next few days, drivers should check the conditions of mountain passes before setting out. Highway conditions for Stevens Pass, Snoqualmie Pass, White Pass and other highways can be checked at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic or by phoning 5-1-1 statewide.

 

It's not clear when the North Cascades Highway will reopen (it opened for summer travel on May 1).

 

"Our avalanche team won't go back in to reassess the conditions until Monday. Right now, they've got a couple dozen avalanche chutes between Diablo and Silver Star that are full and becoming more unstable by the hour as the temperature continues to climb," said Jeff Adamson, a Washington State Department of Transportation spokesman.

 

The Northwest Avalanche Center cautioned backcountry skiers, hikers and other recreationists to avoid all backcountry travel near any avalanche terrain in the Cascades and the Olympics and northern Oregon's mountains.

 

"Deep avalanches are possible. Some slides may release to or near the ground, involving the entire winter's snowpack," the agency warned on its Web site. "The expected large wet snow avalanches may travel very fast and run long distances, possibly to lower elevations where little or no snow cover may remain or to valley floors." For more information, see www.nwac.us/forecasts.htm

 

Enjoy the great weather, but y'all be careful out there!

Link to comment

North Cascades Highway (Hwy 20) has reopened:

 

Crews reopened the North Cascades Highway at 3 p.m. today.

 

The state Department of Transportation had closed the highway on May 15, after warm temperatures caused a snowslide from an avalanche chute below Liberty Bell Mountain, just east of Washington Pass.

 

On Monday, avalanche technicians found another, larger slide in the same area. Heavy, wet snow with large rocks and tree debris covered 200 feet of the highway to a depth of 25 to 35 feet.

 

Department of Transportation crews cleared the slides, repaired a sinkhole and cleared about a half-dozen clogged culverts where avalanche chutes had dumped snow and rocks on the shoulders.

 

The snow has stabilized, and weather forecasts don't suggest any conditions that would close the highway for the Memorial Day weekend.

Link to comment

Maybe a moderator could rename this thread to just "Closed roads and trails" for me, so we can continue using this as a general thread on this topic....

 

So, does anybody know the scoop with the closure of the North Fork Road (outside North Bend) just past Deep Creek? What for, how long, etc.

 

There's a sign posted warning of the closure as you start on the road, and the closure is just past the Forgotten Bridge at Deep Creek cache. So Potty Mouth and all caches beyond that are unreachable at present.

I just received word from the King County that the Wagner Bridge is now open.

 

 

Jeff,

Yes, the Wagners Bridge is now open. I provided the web folks an update at the end of last week that the bridge was open so I’m not sure why the page is not there. I agree with you that it should be there for some time giving the bridge is open update. I will check in on it for you and thanks for your patience.

 

 

Thanks, Larry

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

From: Jeff Adams (qwest)

Sent: Monday, June 02, 2008 11:24 AM

To: Jaramillo, Larry

Cc: jeffadams@qwest.net

Subject: Wagner Bridge #364B

 

 

Is the Wagner Bridge Project completed? I looked at the web page last week and it had not yet been completed, looked again this morning and the page can not be found.

 

If the bridge is in fact completed it would be nice if you were to leave the page up for a while telling us that the bridge is complete instead of just taking the page down.

Link to comment

The Icycle Creek Road out of Levenworth will be closed this year. :( The Queets road is open

 

Story: by WTA

 

The Wenatchee World reported last week that the Icicle Creek Road near Leavenworth will not be opening this summer. A landslide on May 18 blocked the flow of Icicle Creek and sent it flowing down the road bed. Forest Service crews probably won't even get up to assessing damage after the flows recede, probably in August. In the article, George Thayer, developed recreation manager for the Wenatchee River Ranger district said:

 

"There's no chance that the roads will open to the public this year."

 

Have a look at the river flowing over the roadbed here.

 

The closure means no access this season to three popular campgrounds: Chatter Creek, Rock Island and Blackpine. Trails now inaccessible include Icicle Gorge Loop 1596, Chatter Creek 1580, Trout Creek 1555, Icicle Creek 1511, and Blackjack Ridge Trail 1565. The closure does not affect access to the Eightmile Road and the popular trailhead for Colchuck Lake, Stuart Lake and the Enchantments. You can find out more about the closure on the Wenatchee-Okanogan National Forest website.

 

In other news, the new road into the upper Queets River Valley in Olympic National Park is now open. A new route via Forest Service and Washington state Department of Natural Resources roads takes campers, rafters and hiker to the remote Queets. The route now follows route 21 off Highway 101 then turns on to road 2180-100/Q2100. See this map and flyer for details. According to Olympic National Park, the new route is clearly marked. Note that the Queets River Trail requires a ford of the Queets River and is not safe to access at this time. During serious melts and high flows the crossing can be dangerous. More info on the trail here.

 

The Queets Road closed to traffic in March 2005, when a rock slide undercut the road bed, rendering it unsafe for vehicles. In January 2006, an even larger slide at the same site completely wiped out 150 feet of the road, leaving a 200-foot deep chasm and closing the area to pedestrian traffic as well. The lower Queets Valley is still accessible by the Queets Road to the Matheny Creek washout.

Link to comment

It's not looking good for Mount Rainier's Carbon River Road and day-hiking access to the Carbon Glacier and northwest section of the Wonderland Trail. (Glad some of us hiked the caches there two years ago!) Here's the latest, courtesy of WTA's July Trail News:

 

Protecting Trails: What's Next for Mount Rainier's Carbon River Road?

Mount Rainier's Carbon River Road, which has washed out dozens of times in several locations over its history, was hit very heavily by the winter storms of 2006. Roughly 600 feet of road was washed out, and large gullies were formed at Falls Creek and just beyond Chenuis Falls Campground.

 

Now that the road is closed, hikers heading to the Carbon Glacier or accessing the Wonderland Trail from the northwest corner of the Park have an additional 11 miles round trip to hike. The Ipsut Creek Campground, at the end of the road, now sits on an island where Ipsut Creek and the Carbon River flow together.

 

Mount Rainier National Park is conducting a pre-scoping process in advance of releasing an Environmental Assessment (EA) on the long-term disposition of the road. None of the conceptual alternatives they propose would restore permanent vehicular access to the campground. Click here to read more about the conceptual alternatives proposed by the Park.

 

While we're sad to see the Carbon Glacier put outside of dayhike range for many hikers, it is difficult to imagine a scenario in which the Carbon River Road is sustainable. The fact that the road is now on a lower alignment than the river makes it particularly vulnerable, and the fact that it is hard against the Wilderness boundary limits reconstruction options. Mount Rainier staff have been planning for this possibility for some time, as their General Management Plan calls for relocation of facilities to the Park boundary and closure of the road in the event of a major washout. The Park, along with non-profit conservancies and Congress has been working to purchase 800 acres at the boundary where they'll locate entrance facilities and a new campground.

 

Mount Rainier National Park recently held public meetings to unveil these alternatives and the rationale behind them. The alternatives are open for public comment through the end of July.

 

We would be interested in hearing your thoughts as well. Please contact WTA's Advocacy Director Jonathan Guzzo at jonathan@wta.org or by phone at (206) 625-1367 if you have thoughts or questions. After the Park has completed this pre-scoping process, they will release an EA, which will give hikers another opportunity to comment.

Link to comment

WTA Releases Annual Endangered Trails Report

 

In late June, Washington Trails Association released its annual Endangered Trails Report, calling on Congress to turn around more than a decade of inadequate funding that has resulted in a federal trails system near the breaking point.

 

According to the report, the ten most endangered hiking trails in Washington are:

 

Circle Peak / Crystal Lake Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Icicle Gorge Loop Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Headlee Pass Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Gee Point Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Colonel Bob Olympic National Forest

Loowit Trail Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Middle and South Fork Cascade River Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Miners Ridge Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Foggy Dew Ridge Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Boundary Trail Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

 

"Trail maintenance costs money, and as we have seen, when we neglect our national forest roads and trails, they grow over, slide down hillsides, and wash out," said Jonathan Guzzo, Advocacy Director for WTA. "That's why these ten trails are so endangered."

 

View the Endangered Trails Report here.

 

Link to comment

FYI, the Wynoochee road between Cougar-Smith and Olympic National Forest boundary is currently closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (details). We got stuck there for 3½ hours on Thursday, August 7, waiting for the road to finally open at 6:30 p.m. Rumor is that the paving work will have the road this way for the next couple of years. This affects, among other caches, access to Ring of Fire.

Link to comment

LandRover and I were caching in the North Fork Snoqualmie area today, and discovered another bridge on North Fork County Rd is about to be de-constructed and the road closed next Friday, Oct. 31, "until further notice." The bridge is the one above MarcusArelius' A Drive in the Woods #1 - Dead End. We pulled the cache for Marcus so that it won't be lost in the demolition.

 

Five caches beyond the closure are impacted, as they will be inaccessible "until further notice":

 

The Tiki Bar Is Open - Lightning Jeff

Blackhawk Mine - Lightning Jeff

Lennox Mountain View - Right Wing Wacko

Loch Katrine Monster - alciato

A Drive in the Woods #6 - No. Fork Falls - MarcusArelius (we also retrieved this one)

 

b0daa890-7ee6-4fba-86a4-3e78bfd1b743.jpg

Edited by hydnsek
Link to comment

LandRover and I were caching in the North Fork Snoqualmie area today, and discovered another bridge on North Fork County Rd is about to be de-constructed and the road closed next Friday, Oct. 31, "until further notice." The bridge is the one above MarcusArelius' A Drive in the Woods #1 - Dead End. We pulled the cache for Marcus so that it won't be lost in the demolition.

 

 

Shazzbut! I guess there technically is an alternate route if you want to pay the ranso...., err.., access fee to use the private logging roads that parrallel the county road.

Link to comment

From King County:

 

Sunday Creek Bridge will be closed starting Oct. 31

 

Sometimes a bridge just can’t be repaired or upgraded. That’s the case with the Sunday Creek Bridge, a small span located in a remote area 17 miles northeast of North Bend. The bridge on North Fork Road Southeast will be closed at noon on Oct. 31, and will not reopen until the King County Road Services Division can replace it.

 

The condition of the bridge has reached a point where county bridge engineers do not feel it is safe for traffic. The replacement project is tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2009, but construction funding is still pending.

 

There are no homes beyond the bridge. It is used mostly by recreationalists, logging and quarry companies, and the forest service.

Bummer. Here's a map of the location.

Shazzbut! I guess there technically is an alternate route if you want to pay the ranso...., err.., access fee to use the private logging roads that parrallel the county road.

Marcus, isn't this bridge further than the Hancock permit will let you go? I know you could bypass the previous (Wagner's) bridge closure, but I think the Hancock road reconnects to the North Fork Road just past Wagner's bridge, and Sunday is further up. Unless maybe the mainline road from the Spur 10 gate will get you here. It's all kind of beside the point though, as the permit is, as you say, extortionate.

Link to comment

From King County:

 

Sunday Creek Bridge will be closed starting Oct. 31

 

Sometimes a bridge just can’t be repaired or upgraded. That’s the case with the Sunday Creek Bridge, a small span located in a remote area 17 miles northeast of North Bend. The bridge on North Fork Road Southeast will be closed at noon on Oct. 31, and will not reopen until the King County Road Services Division can replace it.

 

The condition of the bridge has reached a point where county bridge engineers do not feel it is safe for traffic. The replacement project is tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2009, but construction funding is still pending.

 

There are no homes beyond the bridge. It is used mostly by recreationalists, logging and quarry companies, and the forest service.

Bummer. Here's a map of the location.

Shazzbut! I guess there technically is an alternate route if you want to pay the ranso...., err.., access fee to use the private logging roads that parrallel the county road.

Marcus, isn't this bridge further than the Hancock permit will let you go? I know you could bypass the previous (Wagner's) bridge closure, but I think the Hancock road reconnects to the North Fork Road just past Wagner's bridge, and Sunday is further up. Unless maybe the mainline road from the Spur 10 gate will get you here. It's all kind of beside the point though, as the permit is, as you say, extortionate.

Jeff, you may be right, based on our travels last weekend. This is beyond the Spur 10 intersection and gates, where we did see a lot of hunter activity last weekend from folks willing to pay that $200. On the maps (yours and Google's), it appears that FS 5700 parallels North Fork Rd and meets up with it beyond the Sunday Bridge closure, but I haven't been on that road and don't know its accessibility.

 

Also, thanks for finding the KC article on the bridge. I looked all over the KC site a few days ago, esp. the transportation and bridge sections, and couldn't find anything.

Edited by hydnsek
Link to comment

From King County:

 

Sunday Creek Bridge will be closed starting Oct. 31

 

Sometimes a bridge just can’t be repaired or upgraded. That’s the case with the Sunday Creek Bridge, a small span located in a remote area 17 miles northeast of North Bend. The bridge on North Fork Road Southeast will be closed at noon on Oct. 31, and will not reopen until the King County Road Services Division can replace it.

 

The condition of the bridge has reached a point where county bridge engineers do not feel it is safe for traffic. The replacement project is tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2009, but construction funding is still pending.

 

There are no homes beyond the bridge. It is used mostly by recreationalists, logging and quarry companies, and the forest service.

Bummer. Here's a map of the location.

Shazzbut! I guess there technically is an alternate route if you want to pay the ranso...., err.., access fee to use the private logging roads that parrallel the county road.

Marcus, isn't this bridge further than the Hancock permit will let you go? I know you could bypass the previous (Wagner's) bridge closure, but I think the Hancock road reconnects to the North Fork Road just past Wagner's bridge, and Sunday is further up. Unless maybe the mainline road from the Spur 10 gate will get you here. It's all kind of beside the point though, as the permit is, as you say, extortionate.

Jeff, you may be right, based on our travels last weekend. This is beyond the Spur 10 intersection and gates, where we did see a lot of hunter activity last weekend from folks willing to pay that $200. On the maps (yours and Google's), it appears that FS 5700 parallels North Fork Rd and meets up with it beyond the Sunday Bridge closure, but I haven't been on that road and don't know its accessibility.

 

Also, thanks for finding the KC article on the bridge. I looked all over the KC site a few days ago, esp. the transportation and bridge sections, and couldn't find anything.

 

I just got email from the county about this today, so I was coming over here to post it, but I see Jeff beat me to it.

 

The article Jeff posted the link to and the road closure information on their RoadAlerts page are the only references I have found, and both of those were posted today.

 

This is probably one of the many bridges that have no preplanned schedule for repair/replacement, so it probably was recently determined from an inspection that the time was NOW, especially considering the statement that 'construction funding is still pending'.

 

Personally I would not be too optimistic about that summer of 2009 tentative schedule. Too bad, as I was just looking at the map of the caches in this area last weekend. :)

Link to comment

The article Jeff posted the link to and the road closure information on their RoadAlerts page are the only references I have found, and both of those were posted today.

Aha, that explains why I couldn't find anything last Saturday. You'd think they'd provide more than 24-hr notice on their site. :)

 

Personally I would not be too optimistic about that summer of 2009 tentative schedule. Too bad, as I was just looking at the map of the caches in this area last weekend. ;)

There are still lots of great caches you can get in the North Fork area. Only the six furtherest out are affected by this bridge closure.

Link to comment

The article Jeff posted the link to and the road closure information on their RoadAlerts page are the only references I have found, and both of those were posted today.

Aha, that explains why I couldn't find anything last Saturday. You'd think they'd provide more than 24-hr notice on their site. :)

 

 

Major projects usually have much earlier notice. Projects like this sometimes don't get posted until after the closure is in effect.

 

Personally I would not be too optimistic about that summer of 2009 tentative schedule. Too bad, as I was just looking at the map of the caches in this area last weekend. ;)

There are still lots of great caches you can get in the North Fork area. Only the six furtherest out are affected by this bridge closure.

 

I know, but there will be those six without smilies on the map just haunting me after I've found the others.

 

Oh well, I was planning these for next year anyway. At least there shouldn't be a problem with sheep. B)

Link to comment

Well they just re-enforced it last summer (when the first container went missing). You would have thought they wouldn't have expended the money and effort if they were just going to tear it out a few months later.

 

It wouldn't be too bad if they didn't block the road, but I suspect they will block it to keep people from just driving across the stream bed.

Link to comment

Well they just re-enforced it last summer (when the first container went missing). You would have thought they wouldn't have expended the money and effort if they were just going to tear it out a few months later.

 

It wouldn't be too bad if they didn't block the road, but I suspect they will block it to keep people from just driving across the stream bed.

It didn't look like they did a whole lot of re-enforcement when I was under the bridge, mostly just shoving shims in here and there. I did notice that there was a pretty good swale to the bridge that I hadn't noticed before. I wonder if they are going to close the bridge to foot/bicycle traffic also.

Link to comment

Today, lucyandrickie, Prying Pandora, Plaidguy, and I planned a nice day hike at Pilchuck Tree Farm in Snohomish to get the plethora of caches there. This is the area around McMurray Glass Cache.

 

Alas! We found prominent signs saying the trails are closed to all users November 1 - April 30. Our bad luck to arrive right after the start of the six-month closure. Sounds like a HOTM for next May. <_<

 

82aa11ec-7a24-4278-ac4a-6cea57d0f6db.jpg

Edited by hydnsek
Link to comment

FYI

 

> Jan. 8, 2009

> USDA Forest Service

> Pacific Northwest Region

>

> *Winter Storms create hazardous conditions on Washington’s National

> Forests *

>

> EVERETT, WA – As floods, avalanches and landslides threaten roads

> throughout the state, visitors to National Forests are advised to use

> caution. Some forest roads that were not closed because of snowpack now

> may be impassable because of downed trees and road and bridge washouts.

> Winter sports enthusiasts should check conditions in advance of their

> visits to ski, snowshoe and snowmobile. Many state highways and county

> roads accessing the National Forests are closed. For statewide road

> information visit _http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/trafficalerts/ _or

> call _511_ for updates. The extent of the damage on the national forests

> may not become evident until the snow thaws. Following is a summary of

> known impacts:

>

> /Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest/

> · Skykomish Ranger District Station is closed due to flooding.

> · I-90, State Route 410 and state highways are closed blocking access to

> the south end of Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

> · Roads to all ski areas are closed.

> · Scenic Route 542 (Mt. Baker Highway) is closed at Doug Fir Camp

> Ground, about two miles east of the town of Glacier and snow blocks FS

> roads at and above Glacier.

> · Scenic Route 20 leading to Baker Lake is closed east of Sedro-Woolley

> and/ /Baker Lake County Road is closed. State and county roads leading

> to Baker Lake area have been closed due to landslides, water and debris.

> Forest Service roads around the lake remain under snow./ /

> · Scenic Route 542 leading to the Mt Baker ski area is closed two miles

> east of Glacier due to avalanches.

> · Scenic Route 9 is closed from Wickersham to the intersection of Scenic

> Route 542 and 9. SR 530 is closed east of Arlington and north of

> Darrington and all of the surrounding forest service roads remain under

> snow and inaccessible.

>

> /Olympic National Forest/

> · Forest Service Road 30 in the Soleduck Valley and Forest Service Road

> 2160, mile post 1.9, in the Matheny Creek area are washed out.

> · The bridge at 2160 milepost 1.9 north of Quinault is washed out.

>

> /Okanogan-Wenatchee// National Forest/

> · Salmon La Sac Road is closed at the town of Ronald. This road accesses

> a heavily used segment of the forest.

> · Deer Creek Road in the Liberty area is closed.

> · Icicle Creek Road is closed at the Snow Lakes Trailhead due to

> avalanche danger and flooding.

> · Butcher Creek Road #6910 on State Highway 2 just north of Coles Corner

> is closed.

> · State Highway 2 through Tumwater Canyon is closed from Coles Corner

> junction to Leavenworth due to avalanches and slides across the road.

>

> /Gifford Pinchot National Forest/

> · Crews currently are repairing Forest Road 90 on the south side of

> Mount St Helens at mile post 0.8 which was closed by a debris slide. The

> road provides access to the community of Northwoods and rural residences.

> · Cowlitz Valley Ranger Station at Randle along US Highway 12 is closed

> due to rising waters from the Cowlitz River, and highway closures.

>

> *Forest** Road Information*

> Gifford Pinchot National Forest: call 360-891-5000 or go to:

> http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/

> Okanogan and Wenatchee: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/oka/

> Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/

> Olympic: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/olympic/

Link to comment

Today, lucyandrickie, Prying Pandora, Plaidguy, and I planned a nice day hike at Pilchuck Tree Farm in Snohomish to get the plethora of caches there. This is the area around McMurray Glass Cache.

 

Alas! We found prominent signs saying the trails are closed to all users November 1 - April 30. Our bad luck to arrive right after the start of the six-month closure. Sounds like a HOTM for next May. :blink:

 

82aa11ec-7a24-4278-ac4a-6cea57d0f6db.jpg

 

The only cache I can think of that is not on a graveled road but on a trail is the one dedicated to the Celtic Cachers, the rest are on graveled roads. I know the glass cache directions say trails, but he has you going a complex route.

Link to comment

> · State Highway 2 through Tumwater Canyon is closed from Coles Corner

> junction to Leavenworth due to avalanches and slides across the road.

Guess it doesn't really matter whether Stevens Pass is open or not...

As I was traveling north on I-5 today by Boeing Field, the readerboard said that I-90 was open with traction tires advised.

Link to comment

Today, lucyandrickie, Prying Pandora, Plaidguy, and I planned a nice day hike at Pilchuck Tree Farm in Snohomish to get the plethora of caches there. This is the area around McMurray Glass Cache.

 

Alas! We found prominent signs saying the trails are closed to all users November 1 - April 30. Our bad luck to arrive right after the start of the six-month closure. Sounds like a HOTM for next May. :blink:

 

82aa11ec-7a24-4278-ac4a-6cea57d0f6db.jpg

 

The only cache I can think of that is not on a graveled road but on a trail is the one dedicated to the Celtic Cachers, the rest are on graveled roads. I know the glass cache directions say trails, but he has you going a complex route.

NOW you tell us! :)

Link to comment

> · State Highway 2 through Tumwater Canyon is closed from Coles Corner

> junction to Leavenworth due to avalanches and slides across the road.

Guess it doesn't really matter whether Stevens Pass is open or not...

You 'could' get around all that if you went to Plain from Coles Corner, then travel the back road to Leavenworth. It has a steep grade & is full of sharp curves though. I wouldn't want to be on that road in snow unless I was on a snowmobile :ph34r: . Of course, that route could be one that they don't plow...

Link to comment

> · State Highway 2 through Tumwater Canyon is closed from Coles Corner

> junction to Leavenworth due to avalanches and slides across the road.

Guess it doesn't really matter whether Stevens Pass is open or not...

You 'could' get around all that if you went to Plain from Coles Corner, then travel the back road to Leavenworth. It has a steep grade & is full of sharp curves though. I wouldn't want to be on that road in snow unless I was on a snowmobile :lol: . Of course, that route could be one that they don't plow...

Next tool on my checklist.

 

A Snow Cat. :ph34r:

Link to comment

Forty-n-Eight has posted this in a new thread, but wanted to capture it here as well:

 

The Snoqualmie Tunnel, part of the Iron Horse / John Wayne trail, and popular route to reach the APE cache, has been closed indefinitely (beyond the standard winter closure) due to falling-debris hazards and need for repair. :D

 

Tunnels on John Wayne Pioneer Trail across Snoqualmie Pass closed to recreation

 

Five tunnels have been closed (46-50); Snoqualmie is Tunnel 50. Repair estimate for the tunnels is $9 million, and the state doesn't have funding at present. Until they are repaired, there is no reopening date.

Link to comment

According to my latest email from WSDOT, the North Cascades Highway (20) is scheduled to officially reopen at 8pm tomorrow night (Friday) - rumor has it that it may open a couple of hours earlier than that. I wonder if the Cinnamon Roll Lady will be there with her goodies for the first ones to drive over?

 

Here's the info: Linky

Edited by Lizzy
Link to comment

It's almost hiking season in the mountains; time to post updates for this year!

 

Here's one from the April WTA newsletter:

 

According to the Mount Baker-Snqoulamie National Forest, the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road is closed for repairs of numerous washouts and likely won't open until summer or even fall. The road is currently closed to motor vehicles just beyond the Mailbox Peak trailhead, and it sounds like the Mailbox Peak trailhead will only be accessible on weekends during construction (on weekdays the road will be closed at milepost 1.4). The road provides access to the popular Middle Fork area, including hikes such as Otter Falls, the Middle Fork Snoqualmie, Taylor River, Myrtle Lake and many others.

Read more here.

Edited by hydnsek
Link to comment

Lava Canyon Trail - Gifford Pinchot National Forest

 

Lava Canyon Trail has been closed for several years due to the flood damage. I looked at this thread and noticed that Lava Canyon Trail wasn't mentioned, so I looked for the status so I could add it to the page and found IT'S PARTLY OPEN! Yahoooo! I'm doing the happy dance. At least the first part of the trail iss open!

 

"Lava Canyon #184 Mount St. Helens NVM 10/07/2008: Partially open, between the trailhead and the suspension bridge. Stay on the North side of Muddy River. No travel permitted beyond the suspension bridge. Hazardous conditions on the trail. (the upper bridge has washed out and the river channel has changed locations)"

 

Road condition: "83 Lahar/Lava Canyon Paved - Two Lanes 04/07/2009: Road to Marble Mountain Sno-Park. Road is open. Please be aware that this area of the road is not plowed, and that you will drive through rutted snow as you approach the Marble Mountain Sno-Park. Washington State Parks is out of funding for this year, plowing has been discontinued. A Washington State Parks and Recreation Sno-Park permit is no longer required. "

 

It looks like it is time for me to race up there in a couple of weeks and do the hike. I've been missing it. The lava canyon is so beautiful.

 

Per the Oregonian ( http://www.oregonlive.com ) "The Lava Canyon Trail parking lot and restrooms will also reopen on Oct. 3. Repair of the flood damaged bridge and trail sections in Lava Canyon is still under way. The Lava Canyon Trail will be reopened on the north side of the river as far as the suspension bridge.

 

In the interest of public safety, the area around the upper falls where the bridge and safety railings were washed away will remain closed. Flood damaged trails on the south side of the river and below the suspension bridge will also remain closed."

Link to comment

Lava Canyon Trail - Gifford Pinchot National Forest

 

Lava Canyon Trail has been closed for several years due to the flood damage. I looked for the status today and found IT'S PARTLY OPEN! Yahoooo! I'm doing the happy dance. At least the first part of the trail is open!

 

"Lava Canyon #184 Mount St. Helens NVM 10/07/2008: Partially open, between the trailhead and the suspension bridge. Stay on the North side of Muddy River. No travel permitted beyond the suspension bridge. Hazardous conditions on the trail. (the upper bridge has washed out and the river channel has changed locations)"

 

Road condition: "83 Lahar/Lava Canyon Paved - Two Lanes 04/07/2009: Road to Marble Mountain Sno-Park. Road is open. Please be aware that this area of the road is not plowed, and that you will drive through rutted snow as you approach the Marble Mountain Sno-Park. Washington State Parks is out of funding for this year, plowing has been discontinued. A Washington State Parks and Recreation Sno-Park permit is no longer required. "

 

It looks like it is time for me to race up there in a couple of weeks and do the hike. I've been missing it. The lava canyon is so beautiful.

 

Per the Oregonian ( http://www.oregonlive.com ) "The Lava Canyon Trail parking lot and restrooms will also reopen on Oct. 3. Repair of the flood damaged bridge and trail sections in Lava Canyon is still under way. The Lava Canyon Trail will be reopened on the north side of the river as far as the suspension bridge.

 

In the interest of public safety, the area around the upper falls where the bridge and safety railings were washed away will remain closed. Flood damaged trails on the south side of the river and below the suspension bridge will also remain closed."

Link to comment

I'm curious why we need two threads on the subject.

The other thread is for closed roads, this is for opened roads. Don't you understand the difference? :D

 

;):D:D:D

 

Seriously, they probably could be combined.

Yeah, I shouldn't have named the original thread "closed" roads/trails but two years ago, after the big floods, it seemed appropriate. I've asked the moderator to change my thread title to make it more encompassing of status of all roads and trails. If so, then combining them might make sense.

Link to comment

I'm curious why we need two threads on the subject.

The other thread is for closed roads, this is for opened roads. Don't you understand the difference? :D

 

;):D:D:D

 

Seriously, they probably could be combined.

 

I kept trying, but the site has been so wonky this week with the upgrades that everytime I tried to get in to merge the two the forums were down. I've gotten the two merged now and changed the title so it covers both opening and closing of the roads/trails.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...