Snowy Forest Road

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Nhyiraba Valentin

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Aug 4, 2024, 10:25:59 PM8/4/24

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Pleaseavoid driving in muddy conditions. Driving on Forest Roads before they dry out and become firm can cause significant and lasting damage. If ruts are forming from your tires, consider postponing your trip until drier conditions firm up the road and provide for safer and trouble-free travel.

Be aware that log hauling operations frequently take place on Forest Roads. Watch for signs indicating truck traffic and/or log haul is taking place, but also be alert for the possibility at all times.

Pull over to give adequate passing room to oncoming vehicles. Watch out for steep drop-offs or loose surface on the shoulder. If no safe shoulder is available at your location, stop and wait for the other vehicle to pull over. When there is no shoulder available for either vehicle to pull over safely, stop. One vehicle should back up until a safe spot is reached. Do not expect logging trucks, cars with trailers, or other large vehicles to make room for you. Pull over early when you see them coming. Your safety is more important than asserting your right of way!

Many roads are closed December 1 through early spring to provide range land for deer, elk, and wild turkeys. Winter is an especially stressful time for these animals. The closed roads help avoid the added stress of vehicular traffic. When animals are under heightened stress, they have lower reproduction and survival rates. Please help the Forest protect animals by obeying closure orders, gate closures, and other signage.

Many higher elevation roads are closed due to snow depth around December 1. The Forest does not plow Forest roads. Roads can become very treacherous with elevation gains during winter, and Google Maps won't reflect this. The Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) lists roads that are closed seasonally due to wildlife concerns or snowpack.

The Mt. Hood Snowmobile Club and Columbia Gorge Powersledders maintain a groomed system of snowmobile routes in partnership with the Mt. Hood National Forest. These clubs also maintain our warming shelters. Please respect the groomed winter trail system that the clubs work so hard to maintain. Snowmobile maps are posted under winter recreation.

The bridge south of White River Station Campground is closed (coordinates: 45.18559, -121.58603). Barlow Rd cannot be driven continuously. It's open from Barlow Pass Trailhead off Hwy 35 to the White River Bridge, about 3 miles east of the Barlow Rd junction with Forest Road 43.

This road is storm-damaged and only passable by high-clearance vehicles. Buses and trailers are prohibited due to conditions. Proceed with extreme caution.

Current Conditions/Updates refers to the status of the road in relation to Forest Orders or long term issues/conditions. This table may not reflect conditions on the ground. Closures due to snowfall or other natural events (e.g., slides, downed trees) can occur at any time. Please monitor weather and local conditions.

Forest Road 46 is open, but there are substantial travel delays past the boundary with the Willamette NF due to construction. For more information, visit the Willamette NF alerts webpage for updates.

Current Conditions/Updates refers to the status of the road in relation to Forest Orders or long term issues/conditions. This table may not reflect conditions on the ground. Closures due to snowfall or other natural events such as landslides can occur at any time. Please monitor weather and local conditions.

07/27/20: Lake Branch Bridge at mile post 10.8 is CLOSED due to rot found in bridge inspection. Bridge is northwest of Lost Lake. Bridge will need replacement. There is no time table yet for this funding request.

Please note: Google Maps incorrectly shows the location of the FR 18 north of Lolo Pass. At the intersection, the correct route is labeled 1810 and heads southeast from the junction. The route shown on Google Maps going directly North is incorrect and leads to a private road in poor condition.

Infrequently maintained and in poor condition beyond MP 7.775, junction with FSR 2821 Mt. Defiance. Washout section on roadway starting 2 miles east of Rainy Lake. Passable with high clearance vehicles, but rough.

This road is closed and gated during winter season. The road closes seasonally during freeze/thaw cycles to prevent road damage. Gate is opened when enough snow has cleared, usually in July. This road terminates at Cloud Cap Inn and Tilly Jane Campground. There is no outlet.

This table may not reflect conditions on the ground. Closures due to snowfall or other natural events, such as landslides, can occur at any time. Please monitor weather and local conditions.

Most of the Zigzag Ranger District's forest roads close in early December and reopen in early to late spring. These closures are in place to ensure public safety. While these roads are closed to vehicular traffic, most are still open for winter recreating (e.g., cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling).

FR 18 generally receives large quantities of snow and can be very treacherous to travel during winter months. High clearance 4x4 recommended with appropriate winter car kit with chains. NOT maintained for winter travel. Please be advised there is no cell service.

Seasonally closed 12/1 to 3/31.

Darkness still ruled the morning sky as I drove out of Houghton. My first destination was an easy one, a section of the Sturgeon River that I had been to several times last year. I had avoided it during the winter, even though I needed GPS coordinates of the falls, as it is kind of a hassle to reach in snowy woods. Today was the day to return to West Branch and Hogger Falls to get some GPS records and some photos of the spring melt.

When I reached Nisula the sun was beginning to break free from the eastern horizon, and by the time I reached the plowed end of Newberry Road there was a dim light filtering through the woods. Half of Newberry is an unimproved road with no houses or driveways, so half was plowed. I parked and headed south on foot. There were some sections of the road that I probably could have driven on, the snow retreating off to the shoulders, and others that were still solid banks of white.

I didn't mess around when I reached the end of the road. I had learned a lot about the forest tracks in this area from past mistakes and simply continued on to the last eastbound access road before the river, the one that starts on a bit of an angle from Newberry. This track had more snow to trudge through, though I got a lucky break. It was bitingly cold this morning, a sudden dip of temperatures to harden the previously slushy snow, and I could stride along the hard surface. It was easy walking compared to past spring hikes.

After an hour of walking along roads I finally reached the waterfall. There is an unmarked trail that leads down from the access road, one that has brush hanging over it and a few downed trees across it, but it makes a straight line down to the main West Branch Falls of Sturgeon River. There were patches of ice on the river, especially on the island that sits below the falls, and I was able to crunch my way towards a few close views of the icy, rushing waterfall.

Now it was time to head upstream. There are three to four more drops up there, plus Hogger Falls, all spread over the next mile or so. I scaled the right bank and quickly entered a crowded forest. The snow underfoot was not as packed as the roads in, letting me sink through with each step, though it wasn't deep enough to slow me down too much.

It was easy to crunch along the snowy banks and listen for the sound of rushing water to lure back down next to the river. The drops were really running today, much more than they had been during my summer visits. I wouldn't call them at flood levels, just comfortably full. It was a fun walk up the river and when I reached the sandy bank that marked the end of the this stretch of falls I was a bit sad.

There was still Hogger Falls waiting. I made my way up and around the sandy bank, sliding down the soft sand until I reached the far side. A short jaunt through the snowy woods later and I was standing below the gushing white water. This, this was a much better time to visit than the summer.

I took my time playing around here, getting close enough to the frothing water for water droplets to splash up my camera lens. One thing I noticed today was just how sudden the river banks were here. Hogger Falls was the start of a little canyon, complete with overhanging sandstone walls in sections, that would stretch all the way down to West Branch Falls. It's not as sudden or defined as the box canyon on Canyon River Falls, but it's something.

Walking back to the two-track and my car beyond was a tough haul. The warming morning sun was working on the deep snow, softening up the packs and letting me sink down to my knees. When I reached Newberry Road, which had sections of exposed gravel on the way in, I had to deal with puddles of meltwater and mud. By the time I reached my car I was fairly dirty and damp. I had enough time to get one more stop in, though.

The drive over to Twin Lakes took about a half hour, making the long way around towards Rockland in the west. I had only taken the shortcut up Pike Lake once in the summer and it had been a rough drive. I doubt it would even be plowed today. Anyways, I reached the golf course and headed out to Wyandotte Falls. Maybe they would be flowing today.