Dan_Miller Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 This will keep people off the West Ridge of Forbidden for awhile. Cascade River Road (off State Route 20 at mile 106) Partial Elevation at road's end: 3,600'. CLOSED at mile 12.7 due to bridge damage caused by avalanche. Engineers are currently assessing level of damage--no estimate of repair timeframe, but expect mid- to late-summer at earliest. Additional road repairs at mile 20 and beyond cannot be completed until mile 12.7 damage fixed. Road passable to mile 12.7, small turn-around, no trailers. Leave room for repair crew rigs to pass by. Bikes are allowed on the road beyond mile 12.7, but may encounter downed trees or other washouts (as well as lots of snow right now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaskadskyjKozak Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 This will keep people off the West Ridge of Forbidden for awhile. Cascade River Road (off State Route 20 at mile 106) Partial Elevation at road's end: 3,600'. CLOSED at mile 12.7 due to bridge damage caused by avalanche. Engineers are currently assessing level of damage--no estimate of repair timeframe, but expect mid- to late-summer at earliest. Additional road repairs at mile 20 and beyond cannot be completed until mile 12.7 damage fixed. Road passable to mile 12.7, small turn-around, no trailers. Leave room for repair crew rigs to pass by. Bikes are allowed on the road beyond mile 12.7, but may encounter downed trees or other washouts (as well as lots of snow right now). Is that before or after the turnout for Eldorado, do you know off hand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billygoat Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Eldo pull out is mile marker 19 I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 man - sucks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaskadskyjKozak Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Eldo pull out is mile marker 19 I believe. Fuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericb Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 You got a bike......right nancy-boy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaskadskyjKozak Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 You got a bike......right nancy-boy? You and me. 6 am this Sat. Tiger Mtn TH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 You got a bike......right nancy-boy? nope - the last time i rode a bike was 7 years ago - it was san francisico - 3:15 a.m. - 14 hrs in the bars - a sport bike w/ tiny pedals and a nut-crushing seat - me in flip-flops - hadn't been on a bike in a decade before - hills - rain - cold - vomiting in the presido ah, freedom... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan_Miller Posted April 17, 2008 Author Share Posted April 17, 2008 More on the Cascade River Road access mess. Below is a recent posting from WTA's online blog called The Signpost,. Posted by: Andrew Engelson on April 15, 2008 Will you be able to hike to Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm this summer? It's not a sure thing. Officials from the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and Skagit County are in a dispute over who will fund and repair a damaged bridge on the Cascade River Road. In last December's storm, landslides crashed into the Hard Creek Bridge, located at milepost 12.7. The road provides access to Cascade Pass, one of the most popular and spectacular hikes in the North Cascades. Early this year, the county was denied a FEMA grant for repairs of the bridge, said Jeff Miller, assistant public works director for the county. As a result, Miller told me "the road will probably not open this summer." Miller said that without federal funds, the county could not afford to spend the estimated $.5 to $1 million required for a new bridge, especially considering the county's entire roads budget is just $4 million. He did think it was possible a temporary bridge could be constructed by late summer, but without funding nothing was certain. Skagit county and the Forest Service have exchanged letters about the county's attempts to abandon its responsibility for maintaining the Cascade River Road. The Forest Service has countered that the county is solely responsible, since the road was first created in the late 1800s and predates even the existence of the Forest Service. The road was considered for a cross-Cascades highway in the mid-20th century until plans were abandoned. District Ranger Jon Vanderheyden told me that the Mount Baker District has offered to work with the county to secure an Emergency Funds For Federal Owned Roads (ERFO) grant, but didn't receive a response from the county. "FEMA was really the wrong way to go," said Vanderheyden. He noted that the county and Forest Service previously worked together to repair a similar bridge washout on Sibley Creek about 10 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairweather Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 I'm sure the NCCC will be lobbying to permanently close this popular access road. It's been one of their objectives since their founding. Be on the lookout. I smell envirolawyers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayB Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Kinda makes me wonder how the *trails* at the end of these roads are going to fare if neither hikers nor crews can access them? Anyone have a running tally of how many significant access roads are no longer passable by car for one reason or another? I'm starting to think it'd be worth investing in a bike-trailer and/or a small motorcycle at some point, even though, if the roads in Darrington are any indication, it won't take too many years for the slide alder to take over and make the roads impassable by anything short of a buldozer sporting a giant lateral chainsaw mounted on the front... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmy_t Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Check it... here's the motorcycle idea in action on the way to the south start of the Ptarmigan Traverse (Suiattle Rd.); we're planning on doing the same thing this summer for the Cascade River Road. The catch is, you need farm kids with time on their hands, and these two are starting to want to come with us... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 contemplating trying to wave down some slack-jawed yokels to ferry me up the road inspired me to write our senators and governor today - took about 5 minutes to compose a note and send it off to the 3 of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayB Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Inspiring me to price out 50cc motorcycles.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Inspiring me to price out 50cc motorcycles.... how much, and how do i get them to fit in my mirage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayB Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 I've seen them on Craigs list for $250-$500, and if someone you are heading out with has a bumper-hitch, you can get a dealy that looks sort of like a narrow version of those hitch-mounted-cooler-platform thingies to carry them with. Some friends and I have been talking about scoring one for shuttle duty on backroads during kayaking trips. Not sure if someone of your stature could get by with one of these, but if there's no practical way to transport a sit-on-top scooter, you might consider one of these deals. http://urbanscooters.com/cgi-bin/urbanscooters/XG-505.html 33mph top speed, 75MPG, 300lb capacity (probably rated for flat ground, not a steep-ass logging road), and 20 mile range (might have to carry a small gas-can on the trip). $409 brand-new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashw_justin Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 An easy and pleasant nature walk, 2-3 hrs to the Eldo trail or 3-4 hrs to the CP trail. Could even be less than an hour by bicycle. Just about the only thing that could make that actually suck (aside from bad weather or a flat tire) would be frequent motorbike traffic. I mean I could probably deal with one or two huffs of petrol along the way, but that's a very popular destination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jshamster Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 Der's also the Sibley Creek Rd. access for Eldo. MP 9 turnoff I believe. Fer Boston Basin, just walk or ride a bike. Cheers. Jimbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jshamster Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 Oh yeah. While I would love for the road to reopen, (planning on Jberg this year,) this may do a good job of weeding out a lot of the larger groups that tend to populate the area all summer. I have no problem walking farther if this is the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Oh yeah. While I would love for the road to reopen, (planning on Jberg this year,) this may do a good job of weeding out a lot of the larger groups that tend to populate the area all summer. I have no problem walking farther if this is the case. but the beauty of j-berg is the 10 minute approach! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairweather Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 An easy and pleasant nature walk, 2-3 hrs to the Eldo trail or 3-4 hrs to the CP trail. Could even be less than an hour by bicycle. Just about the only thing that could make that actually suck (aside from bad weather or a flat tire) would be frequent motorbike traffic. I mean I could probably deal with one or two huffs of petrol along the way, but that's a very popular destination. Um...it's a R-O-A-D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashw_justin Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 The first ~4-5 miles up Goodell Creek on the way to the Pickets is/was a 'road.' So is the first ~2-3 miles of the way up to Thornton Lakes and Mt. Triumph. I know that your first reaction was probably 'how do I get the trailhead as quickly as possible now.' This is a narrow view that doesn't account for how this might affect others in the park. I am simply suggesting that while they figure out what to do about repairs, you could at least consider non-motorized travel beyond the bridge. Like I said, having to deal with lots of noisy, noxious-gas-spewing motorbikes would significantly increase the suck value of the extended trip for anyone using non-motorized travel. (And I hope that is not seen as a bonus. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganDonor Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 So when the road isnt blocked by a down bridge do the cars that spew noxious fumes ruin your trip too. Do you stop your car at mile 12 and walk the rest when the road is open??? I dont get the people that critize how others have fun or get to a trail head. If you have a motorbike by alls means use it. Remember they most likely used a car or truck to get there so they are just hypocrits. There plenty of places where they can go to get away from motorized vehicles. By the way anyone know if its is passable by snowmbile? How big is the gap? Could it be jumped? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrogdortheBurninator Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 reading comp.... when the road isnt blocked, you dont walk far on the road and you dont deal with the annoyances. I dont think many people enjoy the fumes etc. kicked up by motorbikes and sleds while they are out trying to enjoy the outdoors. At the same time, I suspect the percent of users with access to motorbikes, and a desire to use cascade pass area, is fairly small and overall wont affect most human powered users. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashw_justin Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 So when the road isnt blocked by a down bridge do the cars that spew noxious fumes ruin your trip too. Do you stop your car at mile 12 and walk the rest when the road is open??? What, are we playing mind games now? Would you motorbike to the top of Sahale Peak (or whatever your NCNP destination) if you knew it were possible and that you could get away with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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