Heading out? Consider road closures on Colville National Forest, other public lands

Spring rain and flooding have closed or damaged a number of roads on the 1.1-million-acre Colville National Forest.

Recreationists should check to make sure their intended destination is accessible.

Here is a partial list, although it’s important to remember that just because a road isn’t officially closed, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily passable.

• On the Tonasket Ranger District, Forest Service Road 3300-100 in the Mount Bonaparte area is closed south of Pettijohn Creek. On the afternoon of June 3, high-intensity rain storms in the area caused a debris flow that resulted in damage to Forest Service Road 3300-100 where it intersects Lightning Creek. As a result of this debris flow, the culvert on Lightning Creek was plugged and the road failed. The existing road closure on Forest Service Road 3300-100, from last fall, was extended due to the recent road failure at Lightning Creek.
• Sullivan Creek Road is passable with a truck and camper but is not recommended for low-clearance passenger vehicles. There is not an official road closure in place. The Forest Service plans to begin work on a permanent repair later this season after the road’s surface and subsurface is no longer saturated.

“Undoubtedly, there’s more weather-related damage to be found on our several thousand-mile road systems,” said Craig Newman, a recreation and engineering staff officer. “Despite increased road maintenance and restoration efforts, the increasing frequency of intense storms continues to take a toll on our transportation system.”