By Brandon Caley
Special to The SUN
To protect road surfaces and for public safety, Forest roads are seasonally closed to wheeled motorized vehicles, except snowmobiles operating on snow. They are open to nonmotorized uses, including bicycling, hiking and horseback riding. Roads will remain closed until most of the road surface can withstand traffic without damage.
An open gate does not give permission to damage roads. Damage is defined as: ruts 1 inch deep or deeper on gravel roads, or 4 inches deep or deeper on native surface roads. Do not go off roads, except to park adjacent to the road on dry ground.
Following are the statuses of roads and campgrounds on the Pagosa Ranger District as of May 17:
• Archuleta Creek, No. 618, closed due to high waters
• Black Mountain, No. 661, closed
• Blanco River, No. 656, open
• Blue Creek, No. 012/Big Branch, No. 664, closed
• Buckles Lake, No. 663, open, last mile still has snow
• Burns Canyon, No. 649 (to second gate), open
• Burns Canyon, No. 649 (above second gate), open
• Castle Creek, No. 660 to Opal Lake Trailhead, open
• Castle Creek, No. 660 to Fish Creek Trailhead, closed
• Chris Mountain Road, No. 681, open
• Devil Creek, No. 627 to State Wildlife Area, open
• Devil Mountain, No. 626, closed
• East Fork, No. 667, open, but barricaded 6 miles in, cannot access Silver Falls, creeks are running high
• East Toner, No. 637, open
• Echo Canyon, No. 029 (Nipple Mountain opens), open
• Eight Mile Mesa, No. 651, open
• Falls Creek Road, No. 039, closed
• Fawn Gulch Road, No. 666, open
• First Fork, No. 622 (main gate), open
• First Fork, No. 622 (gate at Sheep Creek), open
• Fourmile Road, No. 645, closed
• Jackson Mountain, No. 037, open
• Jack’s Pasture Road, No. 746, open
• Kenney Flats, No. 006, open
• Lefthand Canyon, No. 024, open
• Lower Piedra to campground, No. 621, open
• McManus, No. 633, open
• McManus, No. 633 (at Plumtaw intersection), closed
• Middle Fork, No. 636, open
• Monument Park East, No. 630, open
• Monument Park West, No. 630, closed
• Mosca, No. 631, closed
• Nipple Mountain, No. 665, open
• Nipple Mountain, No. 665 (above Echo Canyon), closed
• Plumtaw, No. 634, closed
• Poison Park, No. 644, open
• Price Lakes, No. 731, closed
• Snowball, No. 646, open
• Snow Ranch, No. 628, open
• Trail Ridge, No. 639, open
• Turkey Creek, No. 647, open
• Turkey Springs, No. 629 — Lower/middle gate, closed
• Turkey Springs, No. 629 — Upper gate, open
• Valle Seco Upper, No. 653 to private property, open
• West Fork, No. 648, open
• Williams Creek, No. 640 (from gate to lake), open
• Williams Creek, No. 640 (to Palisades HC), open
• Wolf Creek Road, No. 725, closed
Campgrounds
• Blanco River Group Campground, open
• Bridge, open
• Cimarrona, open
• East Fork, www.recreation.gov, open
• Lower Piedra, open
• Palisades, www.recreation.gov, to be determined
• Teal, open, no water
• Ute, open
• West Fork, open, no water
• Williams Creek, open, no water
These dates are tentative, weather-dependent and subject to change.
Current information on Pagosa Ranger District road openings and closures is available at www.fs.usda.gov/sanjuan. Click on the “Forest Road Conditions” link located on the right side of the page under the “Quick Links” box. Under Maps and Publications — List of current road status, click “Pagosa District.”
