News Release
Salt Lake City, Utah, May 24, 2016 – This Memorial Day weekend promises to be the first of many busy weekends on the national forests of Utah. Some higher-elevation campgrounds, roads, and trails will remain closed due to snow and extremely wet, muddy conditions.
Safety is always a concern. Rivers, streams, and creeks are running very high and fast and are extremely dangerous. Please be careful and keep a watchful eye on children and pets while recreating in these areas, especially in campgrounds near water sources.
For the safety of the public and protection of bears, the Forest Service is encouraging campers and visitors to practice Bear Aware safety while visiting the forest. Forest users are reminded to ride only on designated routes. Remember to always be a responsible rider. You can obtain Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM’s) that display the roads and trails are open to motorized vehicles at https://www.fs.usda.gov/uwcnf
If you are planning to use livestock on National Forest System lands, remember that only certified weed free straw, hay, or pellets is permitted. When hiking, always carry extra water, food, and outer wear. Let someone know where
you are hiking, approximately what time you will return, and avoid hiking alone. Be prepared for a change in weather conditions.
Make sure campfires are completely extinguished. Most importantly, enjoy your national
forests!
The following is a listing of Forest Service campgrounds that will be open for Memorial Day weekend. Before heading out for the holiday weekend, check with local ranger district offices for the most current information regarding the area you are planning to visit.
Ashley National Forest (435) 789-1181 or https://www.fs.usda.gov/ashley Wet spring weather, with snow at higher elevations, has delayed access to many high altitude destinations across the Ashley National Forest. Many lower elevation campgrounds will be available. Very high snowpack levels on the Roosevelt-Duchesne Ranger District may impact campgrounds, as runoff may cause localized flooding. Please check with the district office prior to departing on your adventure.
Vernal Ranger District (435) 789-1181: The Paradise and East Park Reservoir campgrounds remain closed on the South Slope of the Uinta Mountains above Vernal and LaPoint. Whiterocks campground is open. Please contact the district office for information on road openings and dispersed camping opportunities.
Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area (435) 784-3445: Campgrounds are scheduled for normal opening this year. Please check availability at www.recreation.gov. Carmel campground will be available from noon on Fridays to noon on Mondays for visitors, from May 1st to July 1st. Deep Creek campground and Deep Creek road are closed due to a culvert washed out at the campground. Campgrounds at Flaming Gorge include Lodgepole, Red Canyon, Greens Lake & Group, Greendale Groups, Firefighters Memorial, Arch Dam, and Antelope Flats & Group. Please call the Flaming Gorge Ranger District for campground and road conditions.
Visitors using the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area are required to pay a use fee in designated areas. Day passes are $5, seven-day passes are $15, and annual passes are $35. Passes are available in Manila, Utah and Mountain View, Rock Springs and Green River, Wyoming and local businesses in and around the Flaming Gorge area.
Roosevelt-Duchesne Ranger Districts (435) 738-2482: High snowpack is affecting access to some campgrounds and may cause later than normal openings, due to increased runoff. Please check with the district office prior to departing on your adventure on the Roosevelt-Duchesne Ranger District this spring.
Dixie National Forest (435) 865-3700 or https://www.fs.usda.gov/dixie Pine Valley Ranger District (435) 688-3246: All campgrounds in the Pine Valley recreation area will be open with water and fees. Oak Grove and Honey Comb Rocks campgrounds are open. For the most current information, call the St. George Interagency Office at: (435) 688-3200, open six days a week from 7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and, Saturdays 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Cedar City Ranger District (435) 865-3700: All campgrounds and picnic areas will be open with water and fee. Please call the Cedar City Ranger District for the most recent information. The Duck Creek Visitor Center will be open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. starting May 26th.
Powell Ranger District (435) 676-9300: Red Canyon is currently open with full amenities. Coyote Hollow Equestrian is currently open for dry camping (water will be turned on at a later date, but is not potable-horse use only). King Creek will be open with water on May 26th. Please call the district office for current information Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or the Red Canyon Visitor Center (435) 676-2676, every day 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Escalante Ranger District (435)-826-5400: All campgrounds will be open with water and fees. Please call the Escalante Ranger District or the Visitors Center for the most recent information. The Visitors Center is open seven days a week, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visitors Center (435)-826-5499.
Fishlake National Forest (435) 896-9233 or https://www.fs.usda.gov/fishlake Beaver Ranger District (435) 438-2436: Little Cottonwood, Mahogany Cove, Kent’s Lake, and Little Reservoir campgrounds are all expected to be open with water and fees. Ponderosa picnic area will be open with water and fees. City Creek campground will be open
with no water or fees. LeBaron and Anderson Meadow campgrounds will not be open. Roads and trails at higher elevations may be closed due to snow and wet, muddy conditions. For current conditions, contact the Beaver Ranger District at (435) 438-2436.
United States Department of Agriculture, Fillmore Ranger District (435) 743-5721: Maple Grove and Adelaide campgrounds will be open with water and fees. Oak Creek campground will be open and the water system may be
operational, plan accordingly, use fees apply. Chalk Creek picnic areas (Copley’s Shingle Mill and Pistol Rock), and Maple Hollow picnic area are open. Some roads and trails at higher elevations are closed, due to snow and wet, muddy conditions. Contact the Fillmore Ranger District for the most current information.
Fremont River Ranger District (435) 836-2800: All campgrounds in the Fish Lake Basin and on Boulder Mountain are open with water and fees. Thousand Lake Mountain – Sunglow campground is open with water and fees. Elkhorn campground is scheduled to open in June, weather dependent. Please call the Fremont River Ranger District for the most current information.
Richfield Ranger District (435) 896-9233: Gooseberry campground and Monrovian picnic area will be open. Water may be off at Gooseberry campground until June. Call the Richfield Ranger District for the most current information.
Manti-La Sal National Forest (435) 637-2817 or https://www.fs.usda.gov/mantilasal Please call districts for the most current conditions, which can change rapidly with the weather. Upper elevation roads are closed due to snow and mud. Avoid traveling on roads and trails when muddy. Do not attempt to bypass gates. Please do not camp close to rivers or streams which are running extremely high and fast. Children and pets should not be allowed to play near rivers and streams.
Price (435) 637-2817 and Ferron Ranger District (435) 384-2372: Little Bear, Forks of Huntington, Big Rock, and Old Folks Flat are open in Huntington Canyon. Higher elevation campgrounds are closed. Joes Valley campground is open and drinking water is available. All other campgrounds are closed due to snow in higher elevations.
Sanpete Ranger District (435) 283-4151: Maple Canyon and Chicken Creek campgrounds are open. Twin, Manti Community, and Lake Hill are open. Twelve-Mile Canyon road, nine miles east of Mayfield is closed by a landslide. Roads at higher elevations are closed due to snow and mud.
Moab Ranger District (435) 259-7155: Warner Lake, Oowah Lake and Buckeye Reservoir campgrounds are open. Mason Draw is closed due to construction on the La Sal Loop Road.
Monticello Ranger District (435) 587-2041: Buckboard, Dalton, Nizhoni and Devils Canyon campgrounds are open.
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (801) 999-2103 https://www.fs.usda.gov/uwcnf.
Pleasant Grove Ranger District (801) 785-3563: Hope and Little Mill campgrounds, will be open no water. Granite Flat campground may be open, depending if a recent mudslide stabilizes. Altamont will not be opened. Rock Canyon campground is open. All picnic areas are open with fees, but water is not available. The Alpine Scenic Loop (USR 92) will be open for the Memorial Day weekend. Silver Lake road is open. Squaw Peak road is open to Provo Lookout. North Fork road is open, but no trailers, will be allowed, due to limited turn around space Forest Service road #085, and the Silver Lake Flat road #008 from Tibble Fork, will remain closed due to wet, muddy conditions and snow. Trails in American Fork Canyon are open to foot traffic only. A recreation pass is required at fee sites within the American Fork Canyon-Alpine Scenic Loop area and is available at Forest Service offices or at the entrance stations to the Scenic Loop. The special use fee is $6.00 for a one three-day pass per vehicle, $12.00 for a 7 day pass and $45.00 for the annual pass.
Trails Associated with the Wet Trail Closure (Trails closed to all uses except hiking) This includes: Mill Canyon 040, Tibble Fork 041, Salamander Flat 150, Ridge Trail 157, Mud Springs 173, Willow Hollow 159, South Fork Little Deer Creek 252, and Pine Hollow 047. Front country trails (Bonneville Shoreline, Dry Canyon, Battle Creek, and Grove Creek) are clear of snow and open (There may be some intermittent snow on the higher end of these trails).
United States Department of Agriculture Wilderness Trails: Timpanogos will still have significant snow and possible snow bridges crossing river drainages. People are cautioned not to continue past their skill level for traveling
on snow and have appropriate gear needed for snow travel. Spanish Fork Ranger District (801) 798-3571: Balsam, Diamond Fork, Maple Bench, Ponderosa, and Tinney Flat campgrounds are open with water and fees. Bear Canyon, Cherry, Maple Lake, and Vernon Reservoir campgrounds are open with fees, but no water. Trumbolt picnic area is open with water and fees. Payson Lakes and Blackhawk campgrounds will open Friday morning, May 26th. The Nebo Loop Scenic byway will be accessible after Friday, May 26, 2017 from the north to the Santaquin cutoff and to Devil’s Kitchen from the south end. Halls Fork road to the Left Fork of Hobble Creek is closed due to a landslide and will not be open until the damage is accessed and repaired.
Ogden Ranger District (801) 625-5112: All campgrounds are open with fees, except Monte Cristo and Jefferson Hunt (flooded). All boat ramps and picnic areas around Pineview Reservoir are open with fees. State Highway 39, Monte Cristo Road will open on Thursday, May 25th at 4:30 p.m. Access to undeveloped areas beyond the Monte Cristo gate will be limited due to snow in higher elevations. Lower elevation roads and trails are open. Please TREAD LIGHTLY and avoid traveling on roads and trails when muddy.
Logan Ranger District (435) 755-3620: All campgrounds and picnic areas will be open with fees, except Tony Grove, Lewis M. Turner, Sunrise, High Creek and Pioneer campgrounds. A few sites at Guinavah-Malibu campground will remain closed due to hazardous trees. Low elevation roads and trails are open. Mid-elevation road gates, second gate in Green Canyon, first gate in Temple Fork, Forestry Camp, and Pole Hollow are scheduled to open June 1. Cowley Canyon and Herd Hollow roads will remain closed due to damage from flooding. Upper elevation roads Marie Springs, second gate in Temple Fork, Twin Creek, and Dip Hollow are closed with gates scheduled to open on June 15th. For the most current information about campgrounds, roads and trails, contact the Logan Ranger District office.
Salt Lake Ranger District (801) 466-6411: Tanners Flat campground in Little Cottonwood Canyon is open and Spruces campground in Big Cottonwood Canyon will be partially open with fees on May 26th. Storm Mountain, Ledgemere, Birches and Dogwood picnic areas in Big Cottonwood Canyon are open with fees, but no drinking water. Upper, Main, and South areas in Box Elder, Church Fork, Maple Grove and Terraces picnic areas are open with fees, no water. Remember Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons are Salt Lake City Municipal Watersheds and dogs are not allowed in these canyons. Farmington Canyon road is open to the intersection with Francis Peak road and Skyline Drive. Ward Canyon road is open to the intersections of Skyline Drive and Sessions Mountain where gates are still locked due to muddy conditions and snow. Mueller Park picnic area in Davis County is open with water and fees.
Fernwood picnic area in Layton is open with water. South Willow Canyon road (Stansbury Mountains, west of Tooele and Grantsville), all campgrounds are open with fees. These campgrounds do not have water available, take your own water. Heber-Kamas Ranger District (435)-654-0470 or (435)783-4338: All campgrounds and picnic areas within the Heber area are open with water and fees except for Mill Hollow and Wolf Creek. The Strawberry Visitor Center is open Thursday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Wolf Creek Pass (Utah SR35) is open. Mirror Lake Highway (Utah State Road 150) is still closed and the road is barricaded at Soapstone. Utah Department of Transportation is in the process of plowing the road and hope to have it open by May 27, 2017. Shady Dell campground is open. Pine Valley and Ponderosa Group Sites, Cobblerest, Soapstone (dump station is open), and Yellow Pine campgrounds within the Kamas area will be open on May 26th. All other campgrounds along the Mirror Lake Highway are still closed due to snow. Smith and Morehouse campground will be open on Friday, May 26th with water and fees. All roads are wet and muddy, or snow covered above 8700 feet. All high elevation lakes and trails are still inaccessible.
Mirror Lake Recreation Pass. One to three day passes are $6.00, seven day passes are $12.00, and annual passes are $45.00. Passes can be purchased at the Kamas Work Center, Heber- Kamas Ranger District Office, Evanston Ranger District, and local businesses in Kamas, Utah and Evanston, Wyoming.
Evanston/Mountain View Ranger Districts (307) 789-3194 or (307) 782-6555: Evanston: Bear River, East Fork, Christmas Meadows, the lower part of Hayden Fork, and Stillwater campgrounds on the Evanston Ranger District will have sites available, with no water, but with fees. Some campsites may be too wet to camp in and some campsites may be closed due to high water in the rivers. The Lily Lake dump station is not open. The Bear River Ranger Station will be open for Memorial Day weekend. Planned opening date is Friday, May 26, 2017.
Early season hours will be Thursday – Monday 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. July – Labor Day hours will be Sunday – Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday – Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Whitney Reservoir is NOT accessible. Beaver View, Sulphur, and Lyman Lake campgrounds and Elizabeth Pass are not open. Currently the only hiking trail accessible is to Lily Lake from the Bear River Ranger Station. Conditions are wet and snowy on some of the trail. Other trailheads are not accessible or snowbound. Call for updated information. Forest crews are beginning maintenance work to remove dead trees in campgrounds, so please look up and around before choosing a campsite. Visitors recreating or primitive camping along the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway must display a fee pass. 1-3 Day passes are $6.00, 7-day passes are $12.00 and annual passes are $45.00. Passes are no longer needed in developed (concessionaire ran) campgrounds. Passes can be purchased at Forest Service Offices in Kamas, Utah; Evanston, Wyoming; local business in Kamas, and the Bear River Lodge.
Mountain View: Meeks Cabin reservoir, Stateline reservoir, Bridger Lake, Marsh Lake, China Meadows, and Henry’s Fork campgrounds are open with no water or fees. Hoop Lake and campground are accessible, but there is still quite a bit of snow on the east side. Quarter Corner lake is also accessible. Please pack out what you pack in. The Stateline dump station will be closed. Trails have a lot of snow and are not expected to be open for the holiday weekend. We encourage visitors to not drive in wet areas due to the damage it will cause until conditions improve. Forest crews are beginning maintenance work to remove dead trees in campgrounds, so please look up and around before choosing a campsite.