Trail update

Published 5:00 am Thursday, May 19, 2011

Conditions are changing daily in what is still a winter-to-spring transition in the Deschutes National Forest.

At lower elevations, the snow has melted and trails may be dry enough for hiking. But there’s still plenty of snow at higher elevations; Mt. Bachelor was expecting two to three more inches by Wednesday night.

For winter recreation, Dutchman Flat Sno-park still has good conditions with an above-average 10 feet of snow. Sno-park permits are no longer needed, and dogs are now welcome at Dutchman.

Ray Benson Sno-park, in the Willamette National Forest, is also accessible for winter sports, and the Frank Ellis/Wanoga Sno-park is marginally accessible for snowmobilers, though it will be a bit rough until they reach higher elevations, said Chris Sabo, a U.S. Forest Service trails specialist.

Three Creek Sno-park is closed, but Three Creek Lake still has six to eight feet of snow. The one- to two-foot snowpack at Swampy Lakes Sno-park is marginal to fair.

The snow at higher elevations is challenging the snowplows, which leaves in question whether the Cascade Lakes Highway access to Elk and Lava lakes will be open for Memorial Day. It’s probably best to plan on that for later in the season, said Sabo.

In fact, for making Memorial Day plans, look to mid to lower elevations in general. Trails in the wilderness areas are not expected to be open, and elevations higher than 5,500 feet will have challenging access, though skiing, snowshoeing and snow camping are still possible. Parking is not easy, though, with three- to nine-foot snowbanks on the roads.

In the Sisters area, the trails at Peterson Ridge are open for biking and hiking as well as equestrian use.

At Suttle Lake, there is some construction on the trail between the two campgrounds through Monday or Tuesday. A detour is expected to be set up by the weekend, although bikers may have to walk it.

Black Butte is not fully accessible, and there are some trees down past the snow line.

Crane Prairie and Wickiup reservoirs are accessible, though they currently have patchy snow. The trails at Cultus Lake are under snow, Sabo said, but the parking is cleared and the boat ramp is open.

The snow is melting around Crescent, said Sabo, with only patchy snow still around Crescent Lake. Snowmobiling in that area is wrapped up for the season. Skiing and snowshoeing is still possible in the backcountry, though Sabo said recreationists should only go “with an extra margin of safety from an avalanche perspective.”

Lava Cast Forest is still inaccessible from the road. Recent road work has improved access to Lava Lands Visitor Center, which recently moved to spring hours of Thursday through Monday.

Benham Falls East day-use trailhead is pretty much open, Sabo said, and Tumalo Falls opened this week with a clear trail up to the viewpoint.

Lower-elevation trails with good access include the Deschutes River Trail, Phil’s Trail, Peterson Ridge, Paulina Creek Trail and Horse Butte Trail. Before you venture out, know that a Northwest Forest Pass is required and dogs in the Deschutes River corridor are required to be on leash from May 15 to Sept. 15.

More mountain biking trails are starting to open. Farewell Trail connecting to Mrazek Trail and then to Shevlin Park may yet have moderate patches of snow in the shaded sections at the highest elevations. North Fork Trail is still closed to mountain biking.

The Newberry Crater gate may open as soon as Thursday for access to the Paulina Lake Lodge.

For campground availability in Deschutes National Forest, Sabo suggested checking out the Hoodoo website, http://hoodoo.com, and using the campgrounds pull-down menu.