Gifford Pinchot National Forest

	USDA Forest Service Gifford Pinchot National Forest Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
For Immediate Release: May 19, 2005
Contact: Roger Peterson (360) 891-5007

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, Wash., south to Trout Lake, Wash. Forest Road 25 connecting Randle to the Lewis River Highway (Forest Road 90 east of Cougar) is open.

Forest Road 99 leading from Forest Road 25 to the Windy Ridge viewpoint on the east side of Mount St. Helens will open by May 27 for the Memorial Day weekend. Forest Roads 81 and 83 on the south side of Mount St. Helens reopened to the public earlier this month.

Visitors should drive cautiously on all Forest roads and be prepared to encounter sections of road damaged this past winter. Visitors are advised to always check on current road conditions before traveling.

Forest visitors near the volcano need to be prepared for a potential ash fall.

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 trailheads, picnic areas, boat launches, visitor centers, and interpretive sites in the National Forests of Oregon and Washington.

Some 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
• Oklahoma, north of Willard
• Trout Creek, north of Trout Lake
• Big Creek, southeast of Ashford
• Adams Fork, southeast of Randle
• Peterson Prairie, west of Trout Lake
• Goose Lake, between Carson and Trout Lake

For more information about Forest campgrounds, including a list of fees, visit the camping page on the Forest web site.

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 should be open by late-June or early-July, depending upon weather conditions.

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 Monument Headquarters (360) 449-7800

--Pine Creek Information Station (Open Saturday May 28 – Monday May 30, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., reopens late June for the summer)

--Mt. Adams (509) 395-3400 (Open 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Friday - Monday of Memorial Day weekend)

--Cowlitz Valley (360) 497-1100 (8-4:30 p.m. on Saturday May 28, Closed for lunch)

--Mount St. Helens Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center (360) 274-2114 (Open Daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.)

--Mount St. Helens Johnston Ridge Observatory (360) 274-2140 (Open Daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.)

Additional information is available on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest website.

###

US Forest Service
Gifford Pinchot National Forest - Vancouver, WA
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Amboy, WA
Last Modified: Friday, 20 May 2005 at 12:58:19 EDT