Deschutes National Forest Summer Trail Access and Conditions Update KNOW BEFORE YOU GO! Updated August 12, 2012 Summer Trail Summary Very limited late season snow patches may be found along the Cascade crest. Most not an issue, but you may find a drift or two on north aspects at the higher elevations! Blow down levels on trails range from light to heavy with approximately 65- 70% of Deschutes Trails cleared of blowdown for this season. Mosquitos highly variable. Road 370 still closed by late season snow and muddy sections. Estimated opening, later this week. Metolius River restoration projects in progress with some trail closures or detours likely over coming weeks. South Sister Climbers Trail, Moraine and Green Lakes Trails have a few snow patches remaining. A few down trees have not been cleared from these trails. Dogs must be on leash on these trails thru Sept 15. Northwest Youth Corps installing one of several new hiking bridges on Metolius River Trails. Beware of restoration Be aware that a number of trail projects continuing on Metolius Trails into the Fall. bridges have reached the end of their usable life and have been posted closed to stock use…use nearby ford or alternate route. Go prepared with your Ten Essential Systems: Navigation (map and compass) Sun protection (sunglasses/sunscreen) Insulation (extra clothing) Illumination (headlamp/flashlight) First-aid supplies Fire(waterproofmatches/lighter/candles) Repair kit and tools Late melting snow patch on South Sister Climbers Trail at 6,000’. Photo 8/09/12. Wear boots,Take a map… Nutrition (extra food) GO PREPARED! Hydration (extra water) Emergency shelter Reminder: PLEASE, PRACTICE THE SEVEN LEAVE NO TRACE PRINCIPALS: Plan Ahead and Prepare Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces Dispose of Waste Properly Leave What You Find Minimize Campfire Impacts Respect Wildlife Be Considerate of Other Visitors For details on the 7 LNT Principals: http://lnt.org/learn/7-principles Excerpts from a recent Wilderness Ranger report: Sisters Mirror Lakes continue to see extensive day use. The overnight use appeared to be minimal so far this season, even around Lancelot Lake. I would suspect that overnight use will ramp up as the mosquitos die off and the snow finishes melting. Speaking of mosquitos, they were horrible. I would put it as a 9 to 9.5 (on a 1- 10 scale). I continue to find poop most everywhere (even 2 feet off the trail like that of the first picture). I made my way to Moraine Lake via the PCT & Wickiup Plains trail. This trail was patchy with snow quickly melting off and very little blow down. At Moraine Lake, guess what I found? You got it. Poop. Poop. And more left over poop from users unable to dig a hole 6-8 inches down. At campsite 3 I managed to uncover, quite easily, 6 different incidents. Campfires (illegal at Moraine, Green and Mirror Lakes areas and other fire restrictions apply) continue to be a major problem at the lake as I encountered 2 separate parties enjoying the wonders of fire at their campsites (citation issued). Human waste, campfires, and resource damage were the 3 major problems that I witnessed at Moraine Lake. Please dispose of human/dog waste and toilet paper properly.and be aware of and respect campfire bans. Remember: Leave No Trace! GENERAL SUMMER TRAIL CONDITIONS AS OF AUGUST 12: Approximately 98% of the Deschutes National Forest’s summer non-motorized trails are snow free. The remaining 2% are primarily the high elevation Wilderness trails above 6,200’, are near the Cascade crest, should be of minor consequence for most trail users and, except for some climbing routes,likely be melted off in the next week. Those small patchy snow affected trails and areas include: Broken Top, Tam Rim, Green Lakes, Moraine Lake, South/Middle/North Sisters, Diamond Peak, Three Finger Jack, Camp Lake, sections of the PCT above 6,100 and climber routes on the volcanoes. Isolated north facing and sun protected, heavily forested areas below 6,100’ may also contain patchy snow. Across the Forest, approximately 70% of those trails to be cleared this year have been cleared. Most lower and mid –elevation (to 5,800’) high use trails have been cleared of blowdown or in the process of being cleared. Trail volunteers and a few trail crew personnel are clearing into the higher elevations areas now that snow is no longer an issue. Do bear in mind that not all trails are cleared each year. Limited trail personnel and volunteers normally focus clearing efforts on higher use trails. Trails in areas hard hit by wildfire and beetle kill and involving heavy blowdown (perhaps 50-80 trees/mile) may not be cleared each year; with a few that have become extremely difficult to clear of blowdown and dense brush that are essentially, “put on the back burner” and have become impassible and unsafe to follow. HIGHWAY AND FOREST ROAD ACCESS: For more information on road or public use restrictions, visit the Deschutes and Ochoco website at www.fs.usda.gov/centraloregon or the website of the area you plan on visiting. Hwy 46 Fully open for the summer season from Bend to Crescent Cutoff road. Hwy 46 resurfacing from Bend to Mt. Bachelor has begun and will continue during most of the summer. Traffic delays will occur during most of the project period. Road 370 CLOSED and gated from Todd Lake parking to Road 4601. Estimated opening is mid-August, later this week. Expect rough road conditions on snow free section from the Happy Valley gate north to Three Creeks area and Road 16. High clearance only and stay on roadway. Road 21 into Newberry Caldera - OPEN. Road to Paulina Peak OPEN for the season. Narrow, windy, gravel road rising to 7,800’; closed to trailers and vehicles over 25’. Road to Tumalo Falls TH - OPEN Hwy 242, McKenzie Pass, Highway OPEN to normal summertime traffic with length restriction in effect. 16 Road OPEN and snow free to Three Creek Lake and campgrounds. On Crescent Ranger District: Road 60 – Open! Road access to Summit Lake/ Immigrant Pass, OPEN, is rough (high clearance 4wd strongly recommended), Windigo Pass OPEN, rough road. Pengra Pass Road is snow free and open. DESCHUTES NATIONAL FOREST SUMMER TRAILHEADS/TRAILS Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District summer trails/access: Phils TH area trails are reported in great shape. COTA volunteers have been busy with trail maintenance and the evidence is on the ground. Heavy use reported at the trailhead on the weekends with parking exceeding capacity. The further out from the trailhead you travel, the fewer trail users you are likely to encounter. Tumalo Falls Trailhead is open for the season. North Fork Trail is snow and blow down free to Metolius/Windigo Trail and open to hikers and uphill bikers. The section of Metolius/Windigo Trail connecting Mrazek to North Fork/Swampy Lks Trails is reported to have 12 trees down but passible with bike carries. North Fork Trail is uphill only for bikers. Warning, two low log bridges in Happy Valley are in decayed condition and caution is recommended if using. Bikers go slow or walk across. Bridge Creek Trail is hiking only and closed to bikes, stock animals and dogs, as it passes thru the Bend Municipal Watershed; it has been cleared on the lower 1/2. North Fork Trail is open to hikers, dogs and bikers (uphill only). Reminder for bikers, biking is permitted in the uphill direction only on North Fork Trail for a return trip is on Mrazek. Mrazek is blowdown free. South Fork trail to Swampy trail system has been cleared of blowdown. Flagline Trail, is CLOSED until Aug. 15, for elk calving. Deschutes River Trailheads/Trails are in good condition from Entrada to Sunriver and on to Lava Lands. The seasonal DOG LEASH regulation along the Deschutes River Corridor is in effect May 15 thru Sept. 15. During this time, due to high use and potential for user conflicts, dogs are required to be on leash when in the corridor between Meadow Picnic and Benham Falls East. This includes all the River trails and recreation sites between these two locations. Dogs are permitted off leash in the river. See below under Wilderness for the July 15 to Sept. 15 seasonal DOG LEASH regulation on high use Wilderness trails around Todd Lake, Broken Top, Green Moraine Lakes and South Sister. Tumalo Creek 2 Trail just upstream of Shevlin Park is a “hiker only” and has not been maintained this year but likely has only occasional blowdown. Wanoga (Steve Larsen Trailhead) and Edison mt. bike trails are snow free and cleared of blowdown to Bend and up to the Cascade Lakes area. Swampy Lake Trails have been cleared of blowdown. Flagline is closed until Aug. 15 for elk calving. Tumalo Mt. – Trail is cleared of blowdown and snow free. Trail is hiker only! Todd Lake Trailhead and parking area are snow free. Todd Lake basin is snow free. Trail around the north end of the lake in the meadows is soft and may have muddy sections. Road 370 beyond parking area is blocked by snow and closed to hwy vehicle until approx. mid August. We hope to open before next weekend, muddy sections and a few snow patches remain on north aspects. This access includes road 380 which provides vehicle access to the Broken Top Trailhead. Todd Creek Horse Camp – Snow free. Access on the Metolius-Windigo Horse trail southbound to Many Lakes has been cleared of most blowdown. Northbound to Happy Valley may have light to moderate blowdown. Sparks Lake Trailhead – Snow free but trail will have blow down Ray Atkison Trailhead and Sparks Lake boat ramp – Snow free and accessible and trails cleared of blow down.