Last September’s Labor Day Fires not only brought devastation to Oregon communities, it also means that many beloved outdoor recreation areas will remain closed this summer.
The closures are widespread, impacting large swaths of often-popular areas outside of Portland, Salem, Eugene, Roseburg and Medford, typically along river corridors that became a funnel for the wind-driven fires.
Closures are centered around theClackamas, Santiam, McKenzie and North Umpqua rivers — and the highways that run along them — in addition to the area south of Grants Pass.
Some of the most popular areas closed include the Opal Creek, the ClackamasRiver and northern Mount Jefferson Wilderness areas.
Here's a breakdown and map of the areas currently off-limits —moving from north to south. Fines for breaking closures often begin around $300 and can rise even higher.
A state map recently went live that attempts to show all the closure areas, though it has had some bugs and doesn't always name specific sites. A federal map showing Forest Service closures and sites within them that are closedis also liveand worth checking out.
Here's a breakdown of the closures.
Clackamas Canyonclosures(Riverside Fire)
The Riverside Fire burned down the Clackamas River Canyon. In addition to closing one of the most popular whitewater rafting and kayaking trips in Oregon this summer, it will also impact access because Highway 224 will remain closed, making travel toplaces such as Bagby Hot Springs or Bull of the Woods Wilderness more difficult.
ICYMI:Popular Clackamas River stretch won't open, boaters say closure was avoidable
"Hundreds of thousands of dead and weakened trees have made many roads and hillsides dangerous for months and possibly years to come," the Forest Service said.
Santiam Canyon closures (Beachie Creek / Lionshead fires)
The most sweeping closures in Oregon impact the area east of Salem, where the Beachie Creek and Lionshead firesburned a whopping 400,000 acres — together one of the largestfires in state history.
The closures are centered on the Santiam River Canyon, mostly on the north side of Highway 22. The tricky partis that it involves multiple types of land, includingcounty roads and parks, state forest and huge swaths of Forest Service and BLM lands.
Here's a breakdown of the areas impacted:
Shellburg, Abiqua, Butte Creek waterfalls: Santiam State Forest,a 40,000-acre forest with land from Mill City and Scotts Mills, is mostlyclosed. Most notably, popular Shellburg Falls and Monument Peak trails will remain closed all summer. State forest roads that provide access to popular waterfalls Butte Creek Falls and Abiqua Falls arealso closed.
Post-fire logging:Oregon judge rejects one attempt to stop post-fire logging, but multiple battles underway
North Santiam River parks / boat ramps:A number of places that access the North Santiam River will be closed throughout the summer. That includes Fishermen's Bend Recreation Site and Packsaddle Park — two main boat launches. Packsaddle may open sometime in mid-summer. In addition, smaller parks such as Niagara and Minto, off Highway 22, are closed. Parks where you can access the North Santiaminclude Mill City's downtown park and Kimmel Park, North Santiam State Park, John Neal Park and Lyons/Mehama boat ramp.
Wildfire damage:Niagara, North Fork, Salmon Falls parks likely closed for years after wildfire damage
Little North Santiam Canyon / Opal Creek:The highly popular Little North Santiam Canyon and Opal Creek area will be closed all summer. In fact, all access to North Fork Road — the only way to reach parks such as Three Pools and Salmon Falls — will be barricaded to everyone except local residents.
Opal Creek/Detroit/Breitenbush/Mount Jefferson/Highway 22:Perhaps the largest closure in the state impacts the areas north of Highway 22 and includes popular sites such as Opal Creek, Breitenbush,the areas north of Detroit Lakeand all the way across the northern half of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.
There are a collection of campgrounds that will be open around Detroit and the upper North Santiam River.
McKenzie Canyon closures (Holiday Farm Fire)
The closure east of Eugene along McKenzie River Highway 126 centers on the town of Blue River. The closure doesn't impact as many well-known recreation sites as the Santiam, but it's still worth looking at before heading out.
For more details, call the McKenzie River Ranger Station:(541) 822-3381.
North Umpqua Canyon closures (ArchieFire)
The North Umpqua River has mostly reopened following impact from the Archie Fire, meaning people can get on the well-known river to fish and boat from all of thenormal access points exceptBogus Creek Raft Launch.
But just outside the river, along the Highway 138 corridor, many well-known waterfall hikes are closed, including Fall Creek Falls, Susan Creek Falls and many others. Below is the Forest Service closure map, but there is also BLM land closed, included on this map.Contact the North Umpqua Ranger station for more information:(541) 496-3532.
Southwest Oregon closures (Slater Fire)
Southwest Oregon's Slater Fire burned near the Oregon and California border, south of Grants Pass in the Siskiyou Mountains.
The main closure area includes areas just east of Highway 199 near Cave Junction, including the northern half of the Red Buttes Wilderness and Siskiyou Wilderness, along with the popular Bolan Mountain and Bolan Mountain Lookout areas, and the Tanner Lakes. For more information call the Wild Rivers Ranger District:(541) 592-4000.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter, photographer and videographer in Oregon for 13 years. To support his work, subscribe to the Statesman Journal. Urness can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.
