Many Gifford Pinchot National Forest Sites Open For Memorial Day

VANCOUVER, WA – With the beginning of the traditional summer recreation season, many campgrounds, roads and trails on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest will be open for Memorial Day Weekend.

Forest Road 23 is open from Randle south to the junction with Forest Road 2328 and from Trout Lake north to the Williams Mine near the junction with Forest Road 8810.

Because of low snow packs in the Cascades this winter, Forest road crews will be able to open Forest Road 99 leading to the Windy Ridge viewpoint on the east side of Mount St. Helens on Friday, May 23. Visitors should drive cautiously. Be prepared to encounter sections of road damaged this past winter.

Forest Road 25 connecting Randle, Wash., to the Lewis River Highway (Forest Road 90 east of Cougar) will also open next Friday May 23.

Visitor centers at Mount St. Helens are operating under summer hours. A Monument Pass is required for entrance to the visitor centers at Mount St. Helens. A Northwest Forest Pass is required at participating trailheads, picnic areas, boat launches, rustic campsites, visitor centers, and interpretive sites in the National Forests of Oregon and Washington.

Forest Road 83 remains gated at the Marble Mountain Sno-Park until further notice.

Forest Road 81 is open from the Kalama Horse Camp to the McBride Lake overlook and over Red Rock Pass to the junction with Forest Road 83.

Campgrounds open for Memorial Day Weekend include:

• Beaver, north of Carson North Fork, southeast of Randle
• Moss Creek, north of Willard Panther Creek, north of Carson
• Tower Rock, south of Randle Iron Creek, south of Randle
• Lower Falls, east of Swift Reservoir Paradise Creek, north of Carson
• Sunset Falls, southeast of Amboy La Was Wis, east of Packwood
• Okalahoma, north of Willard Trout Creek, north of Trout Lake
• Big Creek, southeast of Ashford Adams Fork, southeast of Randle

A Golden Passport or Northwest Forest Pass is needed where there are facilities or trailheads that the Forest Service provides to enhance your experience. These can be purchased at Forest Service offices or local vendors.

Many other high-elevation campgrounds such as Takhlakh Lake, Olallie Lake, Chain-of-Lakes, and Walupt Lake, may be open by early-July.

Some offices will be open over the Memorial Day weekend. For more information, call the Gifford Pinchot Forest Headquarters (360/891-5009), or one of the Forest Ranger Districts:

• Mount St. Helens (360-449-7800)
• Mt. Adams (509-395-3400)
• Wind River Information/Work Center (509-427-3200)
• Cowlitz Valley (360-497-1100)
• Packwood Information/Work Center (360-497-1100)
• Mount St. Helens Coldwater Visitor Center (360-274-2114)
• Mount St. Helens Johnston Ridge Observatory (360-274-2140)