U.S. Forest Service officials explain why some trails remain closed long after fire is out
IDANHA — Hikers headed to Jefferson Park, at the flank of majestic Mount Jefferson, will have to find a different route into the popular backcountry destination for the foreseeable future.
The Whitewater Trail, the shortest and easiest hike into what visitors call "Jeff Park," remains closed due to damage from last season's Whitewater Fire. Other trails in the Willamette National Forest, including some in the Fall Creek area near Eugene, also are still closed because of the monumental 2017 fire season.
About 1,000 visitors filled out day-use permits for the Whitewater Trail in 2016, but U.S. Forest Service officials estimate that many more likely used the trail. This summer, the trail will be empty except for trailworkers.
A guided hike Wednesday led by Willamette National Forest officials began at the Whitewater Trailhead off Highway 22. Big, blackened trees surrounded the trailhead. Fire chewed away half of the info sign. Fallen trees litter the 4-mile trail to Jeff Park. Holes pockmark the path.
"It's not a safe place to be," said Grady McMahan, Detroit District ranger for the Willamette National Forest.
A trail crew is set to work throughout the summer, clearing the trees and mending the trail.
But the workload is heavy.
"We do want to get it open as soon as we can," McMahan said. He said that might be later this year, but more likely next year.
In all, the Whitewater Fire charred more than 22 square miles of forestland in the Cascades. The fire burned just under 20 miles of trail near Jefferson Park, said Brad Peterson, a Willamette National Forest trail manager. Trails damaged by the fire include a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail, which has since reopened.
Repairing the trails damaged by the Whitewater Fire alone will cost $73,500, according to the Willamette National Forest.
Once trails through burned woods reopen, hikers should tread with caution and be aware of their surroundings, Peterson warned. Dangers include snags, or standing dead trees.
"Pay attention to the trees above you," he said, as he made his way through a cluster of snags along the damaged trail. "Make sure you are not stopping to spend some time where there may be a rather compromised snag above you that could come down while you’re there."
"And then, pay attention to your footing," Peterson said. "Many stumps and roots have burnt out. There are going to be a lot of tripping hazards."
He urged Wednesday's group of forest visitors to stay on trail, even if it means scrambling over obstacles. Detours off the trail lead hikers onto scorched soils.
"Those burnt soils are very prone to erosion," Peterson said.
Lightning in June 2017 sparked the Whitewater Fire about 300 feet up a ridge from the Whitewater Trail. It smoldered undetected for weeks.
"No one saw it, and people were hiking by it," McMahan said.
Winds eventually fanned the flames, and fire crews first detected the blaze on July 23. The Whitewater Fire became one of the larger blazes in Oregon amid a hectic fire year, and it burned until snow fell in the fall.
A couple of other trailheads offer access into Jeff Park, said Suzanne Cable, a recreation staff officer for the Willamette National Forest.
But the roads to the trailheads are rougher than the road to the Whitewater Trailhead, and the hikes cover more ground and take more time.
"They are just going to take a little longer, be a little harder," Cable said.
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Some Willamette National Forest trails remain closed following fire season 2017.
These include:
- Whitewater Trail into Jefferson Park
- Cowhorn Mountain Trail No. 3458
- Fall Creek Trail No. 3455 (east of Johnny Creek Road to Fall Creek Road)
- Jones Trail No. 3472
Coming Sunday
2018 fire season: Wyden calls for more air tanker support, as officials try not to have a repeat of 2017 destructive wildfires.