Old Fall River Road Reopens In Rocky Mountain National Park Will Close For The Season To Vehicles On October 5

Old Fall River Road has reopened in Rocky Mountain National Park. The road has been closed since September 5, due to the Cameron Peak Fire. The trailhead at Chapin Pass has reopened for day use only. Some areas and trails accessed from the Chapin Pass Trailhead are still closed.

Visitors are strongly encouraged to check current weather and fire conditions before going into the backcountry. Conditions can change rapidly. Expect smoke in the area.

Closures still exist in the following locations: Mummy Pass Trail, Commanche Peak Trail, Mirror Lake Trail, Poudre River Trail, Crater Trail, Colorado River Trail, Red Mountain Trail, Grand Ditch Access, Skeleton Gulch Trail, Thunder Pass Trail, Little Yellowstone Trail and Holzwarth Historic Site access beyond the historic site. Closed cross country travel zones include Cascade Creek, Cache La Poudre, South Cache La Poudre, Hague Creek and Mosquito Creek. Numerous wilderness campsites are also included in this closure area.

Old Fall River Road will close to vehicles for the season on Monday, October 5.








Jeff
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Driving Through The Thick Of It

This isn't a storm:

From a far-off distance my wife and I both thought we were approaching another storm as we traveled across southeastern Wyoming this past Saturday. Earlier that morning we had left Grand Teton National Park for our long drive home. We knew a few storms were passing across the state. The night before winds from an approaching front howled over our condo near Teton Village. The next morning saw thick fog and rain throughout the mountains.

After seeing several warnings along the highway regarding high winds in the area, I began to suspect that maybe we were witnessing a major dust storm. However, as we approached Laramie, it became clear that what we were actually seeing was thick smoke pouring out of the Medicine Bow Mountains just east of town. This was confirmed as we got to the outskirts of town when we could smell the smoke, a result of the Mullen Fire, now listed as being 78,000 acres in size.

Due to extreme winds that day, thick smoke was blowing directly eastward, which meant it followed along the I-80 corridor from Laramie to well-past Cheyenne. As a result, we drove through smoke for more than 75 miles. We later learned that the wind-driven fire forced authorities to issue evacuation orders for both residents and recreationists in the mountains.

Although driving in the smoke for that long was pretty bad, the favorable winds throughout most of the day resulted in almost 4 more miles per gallon to our gas mileage!




Jeff
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Major Road Work In Rocky Mountain National Park On 3 Mile Section Of Road

As temperatures begin to drop at night, road construction operations on a 3-mile section of US 36, just west of Bear Lake Road junction to east of Deer Ridge Junction, will expand into the day. This section of road will remain closed nightly from 9 pm to 7 am, Sunday nights through Friday mornings.

The contractor has begun paving operations. There will be a partial road closure during the paving work. When the road reopens each morning at 7 am, two-way traffic will be allowed until noon through this section.

Beginning at noon, Mondays through Thursdays, only one lane of west bound traffic will be open. Eastbound traffic will not be allowed through this section of construction from noon to 9 pm. On Fridays, this closure will be in place from noon to 5 pm. During these time periods, visitors coming east on Trail Ridge Road from Hidden Valley will be diverted through the Fall River Entrance. Visitors travelling from the Fall River Entrance will be unable to travel through this section to exit through the Beaver Meadows Entrance.

Visitors entering at the Beaver Meadows Entrance will be permitted to travel westbound through the construction zone during the day with up to 15 minutes delays.

No detours or delays will take place on this section of road from Fridays at 5 pm through Sundays at 9 pm.

This road construction project has encompassed removing an entire depth of asphalt and installing a new surface. Many curves have been reconstructed to bring them into compliance with federal highway standards. Visitor pull offs are being formalized and curbing will be added where necessary to protect vegetation.

Upper Beaver Meadows Road will also be inaccessible during nightly closures.








Jeff
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How Wolves Change Rivers

Although this short video is a little dated (from 2014), it still highlights an important lesson that continues to be valid today. The video discusses how the introduction of wolves in Yellowstone have alterred the food chain, created opportunities for other wildlife, and have changed the geography of the park itself. Moreover, it shows the importance of having a complete ecosystem in places like Yellowstone:










Jeff
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Forest Service charts new path for Warren Gulch Trail

The Forest Service has completed its environmental review of a proposed new alignment for the Warren Gulch Trail on the Clear Creek Ranger District. Work on the reroute is expected to begin in the coming month, although the trail won’t be ready to reopen until sometime next year.

The trail closed last summer after conflicts between trail users and private landowners, and downed trees across the trail caused safety concerns. The historic route, which had gained popularity with mountain bikers in recent years, begins near Echo Mountain on Colo. Highway 103, heads north, and then runs steeply downhill.

The lower third of the trail previously crossed 18 mining claims, many of which have been developed, before terminating near Idaho Springs. The reroute will navigate users entirely across public lands, providing a more sustainable and enjoyable experience while minimizing user-landowner conflicts.

Approximately 1.7 miles of the former trail will be decommissioned. The new reroute will be 1.4 miles long, making the entire trail just under 4 miles long. The new trail will be designed to Forest Service mountain bike standards with a 12-24 inch width, but will also be open to other non-motorized users.

The Front Range Trail Stewardship Strike Team, a partnership between the National Forest Foundation, VF Foundation, and Mile High Youth Corps, will help scratch out the new trail alignment this fall, preparing the route for more contoured and refined finish work to be completed by COMBA and other partners in the spring.




Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
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Ramble On: A History of Hiking
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