Weather Damage Leaves Oregon's Back Country Travelers Plenty to Think About

Oregon Trails off the Beaten path have taken a beating in recent winters. Repairs are underway in many locations,

Opal Creek Wilderness Photo courtesy: U.S. Forest Service

(SALEM, Ore.) - As spring re-claims our mountains, and begins to reveal our trails, it also reveals new damage from the heavy winter snows. After my recent article on climbing Beachie Saddle, I hope that some of you have considered trekking up into the Opal Creek area. When you do, be aware that there is a bridge closure there.

A footbridge on the Kopetski Trail is showing signs of rot, and has been closed for safety reasons. This is the bridge that leads from Jawbone Flats up to Cedar Flats.

The footbridge is about ½ mile south of Opal Pool. This is a side trail, and will not prevent foot access from the trailhead at the end of the Little Northfork Road.

Another recent closure involves the Pacific Crest Trail (Trail #2000) where it meets the Whitewater Creek Trail (Trail #3429). The bridge over a tributary of Whitewater creek between this trail junction and Scout Lake is closed. Snow level currently prevents access to this bridge (current reports place the snow level at about 5,000 feet).

Although hikers should be able to ford this creek crossing, those with stock are best served by hiking in on the South Breitenbush Trail (FS Rd #4685 off the Breitenbush Rd from Detroit) to reach this Wilderness Area.

Marion Lake. Courtesy: Oregon.gov

The Blue Lake Trail Bridge has been closed since 2008, and hopefully will be repaired this year. This is the bridge across the outlet of Marion Lake. Hikers can still reach Marion Lake using the Marion Lake Trail (Trail #3436). However you must hike around the north side of the lake on Trail #3437 if you wish to continue into the Eight Lakes Basin.

There are also road closures and restrictions that should be noted by local back-country travelers. The first is FS Road #2207. This is the road that splits off the Little North Fork Road, goes past Shady Cove Campground, climbs beyond Opal Lake and joins with the French Creek Rd (FS Road #2223) which leads down to Detroit.

This slide occurred in November 2008, and is approximately 3 miles north of the junction with French Creek Rd. That puts it between the junction and Opal Lake. Hopefully the Forest Service will be able to assess this damage when the snows recede, and effect repairs this year.

Speaking of repairs, the long-awaited work on Highway 46, the Breitenbush Road, has already begun. Highway 46 connects Detroit with Estacada via a spectacular curving route through the mountains of the Detroit and Mt Hood Ranger Districts.

This project is scheduled for completion by the end of the summer, although some work could continue into 2010. This project will include new asphalt, removal of roadside hazards and new guardrails. While this is going on, expect delays of 30 minutes when traveling here.

And finally, a section of FS Road #10 (the Blowout Rd) is closed Monday-Friday from daybreak until 2pm through the first half of June. A logging operation in this area will close the road just past the intersection with FS Road #1011. You can still use the #1011 road to circumvent this area, which should be back open again before July 1st. This is about 12 miles from the junction of Blowout Rd and Highway 22.

Salem News will continue to keep you posted on current conditions in the Detroit Ranger District and other areas of interest throughout the state.