JACKSON HOLE, WYO – Technically, backcountry roads in the Bridger-Teton will be open for motorized travel on May 1. Realistically? Use your head.
Officials from the BTNF are advising outdoor enthusiasts eager to get out into the forest this spring to be prepared for continued road closures beyond the traditional May 1 opening date when winter closure restrictions are lifted. Even those roads with no closure gate may not be passable next week given the amount of snow this past winter and the wet spring conditions this month.
“We still have a long period of snowmelt ahead and we are seeing several issues our roads and highways already,” said Jackson district ranger Dale Deiter. “While we will be lifting the winter wildlife closure on May 1, roads may still be snow drifted, heavily saturated, or impassable. Visitors should be prepared to walk into areas or take their horses. There will no longer be restrictions to human presence, but the reality is that access roads may not be drivable or may be closed to prevent resource damage.”
Aside from calls for help that keep forest personnel busy every spring extricating stuck vehicles, roads can be severely rutted and damaged with premature use.
The current status of roads on the Jackson Ranger District for those planning to venture out on May 1 is the following:
- Gros Ventre road – lower gate may open at midnight depending on conditions; regardless the road will be closed to motorized vehicles until June 1st above the gate near Red Rock Ranch; non-motorized use is allowed. Several landslides near Atherton Creek and Russold Hill are being repaired this week.
- Flat Creek road – the gate on the National Elk Refuge opens at midnight April 30th and people will be able to drive to the Forest trailhead; the road will be closed past the trailhead
- Curtis Canyon road – the gate on the National Elk Refuge will probably open at midnight depending on conditions and people will be able to drive up to the campground/overlook area; the upper part of road will remain closed due to snow and wet road conditions
- Shadow Mountain north and south roads – closed due to snow
- Ditch Creek road – closed due to snow
- Fall Creek road – closed due to snow
- Granite Creek road – closed due to snow
- Mosquito Creek road – closed due to snow
- North Fork Fall Creek – closed due to snow
