Contributed by Methow Valley Trails Collaborative
It’s transitioning to fall in the mountains. The underbrush is changing color, and trail crews are moving from dealing with smoke to working through rain and snow. As a result, fire closure areas have once again been reduced, as have the U.S. Forest Service fire restrictions. The Methow Valley Ranger District is now in stage 1 fire restrictions, so campfires are permitted in Wilderness areas and designated campgrounds. Full fire restrictions are still in effect on state managed lands. If you’re venturing into the wilderness over the next two weeks, be advised that high hunt is Sept. 15-25. Wear bright colors and avoid being off trail during dawn and dusk.
Highway 20 Scenic Corridor: All trailhead paving closures have been lifted. Some striping work may be ongoing at Cutthroat and Klipchuck, but striping will not affect public access. Lone Fir Campground is still closed for repaving, but should re-open soon. As larch season approaches, remember, overflow parking at Highway 20 trailheads should never cross the white fog lines and impede the flow of traffic.
Mazama/Hart’s Pass: The Ptarmigan fire closure was reduced again. The Pacific Crest Trail from Harts Pass to Canada is once again open for any straggling northbound hikers. The Monument Creek Trail closure order was pushed north to the Lake of the Woods Junction, and Robbinson Creek is now open to the Whistler Cutoff, but is closed before the Ferguson Junction. At Harts, Buckskin Ridge and the West fork Pasayten are still closed due to fire activity.
Winthrop/Chewuch Drainage: The Ptarmigan Fire closure on Hidden Lakes has been moved north of Big Hidden Lake. The Sinlahekin closure area has also been reduced, so the Chewuch and North 20 Mile Trails are once again open. The 37 road has been opened to just south of the junction with NF-39 (Roger Lake area). The Tiffany Zone is still closed due to the Sinlahekin fire. The USFS trail crew is currently working on clearing the Wolf Creek trail to Gardner Meadows.
Twisp River Drainage: Since last writing, the Williams Lake trail has been completely cleared of blowdown. Some brushing has been accomplished, too, but expect brushy conditions if venturing to the lake. The MVTC trail crew cleared the trail to West Oval Lake, and partially cleared the Eagle Creek trail to Silver Lake, building on the Forest Service’s work on Eagle from earlier this summer.
Lower Valley/Loup: The Methow Chapter of Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance made continued progress on a new green flow trail, Goldilocks, at Loup Loup. The top mile of this trail is now open.
