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.
###
|