Many recreation sites still closed due to snow
Friday, June 27, 2008 4:22 PM PDT
By The Daily News
Printable version
E-mail this articleParts of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest above 3,500 feet are still snow-covered, blocking access to recreation areas.
Access to Windy Ridge interpretive sites east of Mount St. Helens remains closed by snow. Forest officials anticipate that Road 99 could open as late as mid-July.
Road 25 over Elk Pass still has more than 8 feet of snow and won’t be plowed by the July 4th weekend.
Skate Creek Road 52 between Ashford and Packwood could be open for the July 4th weekend, however.
Road 23 between Randle and Trout Lake remains closed by snow, and won’t be open at all this summer because of a washout.
Because of flood damage, Road 81 is closed between Kalama Horse Camp and Road 830 leading to Climbers Bivouac. Repairs are scheduled for the summer of 2009. The closest access point to the bivouac is currently the Cougar Sno-Park. Forest Road 83 is open to the Marble Mountain Sno-Park.
Forest Road 83 is closed to all motorized traffic east of the Marble Mountain Sno-Park, closing access to the Lahar and Lava Canyon areas on the south side of Mount St. Helens. Construction to repair this section of road is scheduled begin in late summer.
Starting Friday, the Apes’ Headquarters at Ape Cave, which provides lantern rentals and ranger programs, will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Labor Day.
Visitors are advised always to check on current road conditions before traveling. For more information, call (360) 891-5000, or see www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation
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