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2009 -- Backroads in the East and West Kootenay       

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Tell me what you found out on the remote back roads!

 

This Year's Road Forum

2011 Road Forum with most of the work and road access completed or repaired.

2010 Road Forum

2009 Road Forum

2008 Road Forum

 

See Also the Updates for Mountain Footsteps the Hiking Guide Book





2009 Road Forum
Date Road Name Description, Location, or GPS coordinates Other Details Sent From
Aug 24
- Sept 7, 2009
Spillimacheen-McMurdo Forest Service Road West of Parson (access to Silent Pass – TFL 14) will be closed to all traffic.

This closeure is to facilitate the removal and replacement of two (2) bridge structures.

August 24, 2009 until September 7, 2009 (or until further notice) BC Forest Service
Aug 5 2009 McMurdo Road has been cleaned up, it took most of the day on Saturday.

Bugaboo FS Road was cleaned up late in the day on Friday.

Bridge/culvert works on the Spillimacheen North Fork (McMurdo) will commence as previously noted.

  BC Forest Service
July 31 \

Urgent notice: Road conditions are changing daily if not hourly due to the extreme weather we are experiencing this year. Where avalanche paths exist many roads may be partially covered with residual debris. With the downturn in the economy and most industrial operations shut down we have very few eyes/resources in the back country.

Caution is advised on all roads and back country travellers should be aware of rapidly changing weather conditions and stream flows which may affect road conditions.

I received a call today that McMurdo is closed at the 49.9km due to a mudslide. I am trying to get an excavator mobilized to address the slide but best case scenario it won’t be before tomorrow and quite possibly not until early next week.

Also, between the BC Forest Service and Tembec we will be replacing 3 structures on the N. Fork of the Spilli then McMurdo from August 21 to an undetermined date, therefore access particularly to Silent Pass area will be closed during this time.

  BC Forest Service
July 31 \

Repaired Aug 20,

Currently the Bugaboo is closed by wind-fallen trees at or around the 30km mark (quite a distance from the parking lot).

I don’t know how extensive the windfall is but CMH cannot address this before tomorrow at the earliest and there are no other resources in the area unless a member of the public is packing a chainsaw. Also Frances Creek FSR also repaired Aug 2009 in good condition. BC Forest Service
July 31 \

Repaired Aug 20,

The Horsethief (LoHG) is passable at this time, however I have an excavator and rock truck cleaning up the last (largest) of 4 mudslides in that area.

There may be short delays to traffic (38-40km), around the Stockdale Cr Recreation Site.   BC Forest Service
2009 Summer

Projects that we are going to do this year are:

Grade Elk Lakes and spot gravel a big chunk of it.
Elk Valley road by replacing several culverts and cleaning them out and if it dries up we will grade from 5-45km before we start our gravelling project in September.

Brushing, grading and ditching on Spillimacheen, northfork and Mcmurdo, Horsethief Forster, Jumbo,Lodgepole and Flathead, Bull River, Summer Lake, Findlay, Whitetail, Sulphur Cr., Bugaboo,Redding cr and Grey Cr pass, Whiteswan Lake and the Lussier.

 

This could all change when the new budget comes down in August/September. You can thank Bill Bennett our MLA for getting us the dollars for the Elk Valley Road. From BC Forest Service   BC Forest Service
July 7 2009 Roads reports for this summer so far

Jumbo is open – condition fair-good (minor avalanche debris)

Horsethief/Lake of the Hanging Glacier is open

Trail is likely still snowed in at this time and the footbridge across Hellroaring Creek will not be installed until end of June/early July.

Forster open – good condition

Bugaboo open – good condition

Swansea open – good

Windermere open – good

Delphine is open – very rough/high clearance vehicle beyond 2km

No other known access issues at this time.

Ram/Roam FSR beyond the Ram hot springs remains closed (between hot springs and Upper Lussier River FSR) for environmental reasons.

Meachen Creek is now open all the way tp HourGlass Lake trailhead and is in good shape.

  BC Forest Service
2009 Reports from work done and completed Flathead is open.
Hartley Sulphur and Bull River are open, grading is complete,
Summer Lake is open and graded.
Wildhorse is open and graded and you can drive to the Bear Lake hiking trailhead.
Lakit Lookout is open all the way to the parking lot.
Elk Lakes road is open to Elk Lakes park (road is rough though).
Grey Creek Pass is open and rough in spots.

White Boar Lake is open on Meachen but road is rough and rutted up at the end.
Mause Creek to Fisher Peak is open and beyond to the Mause trailhead, road is rough and requires a truck.
Phillips Cr. is open past Baldy Lake and has been graded.
All these roads are open and in the condition stated BC Forest Service
2009 Frances Creek FS Rd High Clearance truck road in good condition to 17-km to the turnoff to MacLean Lake and crossing of Frances Creek - bridge pulled.   from AC
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