Thursday, August 22: SR 20 Open!!
Thursday, August 15: SR 20 still closed (not because of the fire, but because of the debris flow that occurred -- it is taking longer to clear it and to stabilize the area above this flow). WSDoT will make an announcement Monday, August 19.
This is your go-to url for SR 20 Closure/Open updates: https://wsdot.com/Travel/Real-time/Map/
The recent weather has been a great fire suppressor. IR satellite images show only some heat for the Ruby Mtn fire, none for Easy, Pincer 2, Miners Complex, Calcite Creek (southern BC), or the Pioneer (that does not mean these fires are out, heat and wind will bring them back to life).
All closures remain in effect.
Monday, August 12: SR 20 still closed. The marine push with its fog moved in last night enabling fire fighters to work on containment (at both the highway and ridge) and to deal with hazard trees along side SR 20. The weather forecast is promising. There was still visible heat last night from the Easy Fire, but not the Pincer 2 fire between the Cascade River Road and Johannesberg Mountain.
The Calcite Creek fire is at 17,350 acres, got to within less than 400 m (think of all those great recent Olympic races at that distance) of the border, but never crossed AND show NO visible heat (IR seen by a space satellite).
Currently, all closures remain in effect.
Wednesday, August 7: SR 20 Still Closed (note size of fire). No good news.
Calcite Creek fire in Canada has entered the US and has resulted in a large number of closures listed below (see Figure 4).
Closures are in effect for trails in the Pasayten Wilderness due to the Calcite Creek Fire burning in Canada just north of the Pasayten Wilderness Area per the USFS (https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/okawen/alerts-notices/?aid=89529).
Trails Closed
- Trail No. 533 Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (Boundary Trail) from the junction with Quartz Lake just west of Pevee Pass in T40N R19E Section 24 to the junction with the Pacific Crest Trail No. 2000 in T40N R17E Section 20
- Trail 451 E Fork Pasayten (unmaintained) from Dollar Watch Pass in T39N R20E Section 7 north to junction with Trail No. 477 Hidden Lakes
- Trail No. 454 Monument 83
- Trail No. 455 Ptarmigan Ridge
- Trail No. 456
- Trail No. 461 Border
- Trail No. 472 West Fork Pasayten from its junction with Trail No. 478 Robinson Creek to its junction with Trail No. 472.1 Holman
- Trail No. 473 Rock Creek from its junction with Trail No. 478 Robinson Creek to 0.6 miles east of Pacific Crest Trail #2000 in T39N R17E Section 9 (Coney Basin is not closed)
- Trail No. 477 Hidden Lakes from junction with Trail No 485 Tatoosh Butte to junction with Trail No. 533 Boundary Trail
- Trail No. 478 Robinson Creek from its junction with Trail No. 474 Eureka Creek (Fred and Doris Lakes) in T39N R18E Section 33 to its northern terminus at the junction with Trail No. 533 Boundary Trail
- Trail No. 482 Chuchuwanteen
- Trail No. 485 Tatoosh Buttes
- Trail No. 490 Heather Lake
- Trail No. 495 The Parks
- Trail No. 498 Buckskin Ridge from Buckskin Lake in T39N R18E Section 29 north to junction with Trail No. 478 Robinson
- Trail No. 533.1
Tuesday, August 6
Fire on SW side of Mt. Adams has led to the closure of FS RD 23 and the PCT in that area. A larger area on the west and NW sides of Adams are also closed.
Sunday, August 4: SR 20 CLOSED
Saturday, August 3: SR 20 remains open (pilot car assisted); however, with increased fire intensity and extent, be prepared for closure or long delays (https://wsdot.com/Travel/Real-time/Map/).
Please remember to honor (and obey) closures and rules regarding behavior within areas where you are led by a pilot vehicle.
Thursday, August 1: SR 20 remains open (pilot car assisted)
Cool, moist, cloudy weather enabled fire fighters to fire proof (as much as one can) both the road and the ridge (note the current extent of the fire lines, Figure 1). The next eight plus days with hot, dry weather will be critical. Obviously avoiding (by care and by luck) any new fire starts will be critical. Current fire status in other surrounding fires is shown in Figure 4. Campground and trail closures all remain in effect.
Recommendation: Get the free app, Watch Duty (however, donations are appreciated as it is a non-profit). It and its associated ‘reporters’ stay on top of almost all of the fires occurring across the west from Washington to California and from Montana to Oklahoma and Texas. You can turn on and off notifications to specific areas (planning a trip to the Crazy Mountains of Montana, for example) or specific ongoing fires.
Friday, July 26: SR 20 is OPEN (as of 1:00 pm)!
Thursday, July 25: However, the cooler weather was countered by strong, shifting winds. Figure 1 is the most recent map with closures provided by the USFS. Trails to the Maple Pass Loop, Lake Ann, Rainy Lake are all open, however, you must drive to Winthrop/Mazama first to get to both Washington and Rainy Passes (both open). It is not clear to me why the map shows SR 20 closed over a much greater distance. WSDoT sources are pretty clear regarding the existence of a closure both ways between MP 148 (Granite Creek crossing) and MP 157 (Easy Pass Trail Head - note, the trail to Easy Pass is CLOSED).
Wednesday, July 24: Good news: Cooler weather and fire fighting success have been somewhat effective (see Figure 4).
Bad news: SR 20 remains CLOSED IN BOTH DIRECTIONS (see Figure 1).
There are additional trail closures associated with the Pincer Two Fire (see Figure 3).
Trail Closures associated with the Easy (see Figure 3), Miners (see Figure 2) and Pioneer Fires remain in effect (virtually everything north of Lake Chelan to the Sawtooth Crest).
Tuesday: SR 20 Closed between MP 148 (Granite Creek) and MP 157 (Easy Pass Trailhead)
Trail Closures (see Figure 3) listed below:
CLOSED TRAILS:
• PCT #2000 Between Grasshopper Pass and Rainy Pass
• West Fork Methow Trail #480 From Trout Creek to PCT Tr. #2000
• Cutthroat Tr. #483 is Closed beyond Cutthroat Lake
• Easy Pass Tr. #741
• East Creek Tr. #756
• Boulder Creek Tr. #729
• Mill Creek Tr. # 755
PCT HIKERS:
EVACUATIONS could affect access, mail, and resupply in Stehekin
PCT hikers are advised to carry extra food to be able to pass through with-out resupplying in Stehekin. The PCT travels for 127.1 miles between Stevens Pass (mile 2467.4) and Rainy Pass (mile 2594.5). Evacuations in the Stehekin Valley may interrupt access to the community from the PCT, mail delivery, and post office access. If you find yourself at High Bridge (mile 2575) on the PCT and access to Stehekin is closed, the nearest road is 18 miles north on the PCT to Highway 20.
Saturday, July 20: As a result of the dry lightning storms that occurred on July 17, there were some 1000 ground strikes resulting in a number of fires in Oregon and Washington (see Figure 4 for the North Cascades).
New Closures: Nine new fires in Glacier Peak Wilderness area; Pacific Crest Trail closed. Trails: Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail #2000.2 from Mica Lake to Suiattle Pass, Suiattle River Trail #784, Miners Ridge Trail #785, Buck Creek Pass Trail #789, Miners Cabin Trail #795, Grassy Point Trail #788, and Sulphur Mountain Trail #794. Campgrounds and Roads: Cascade River Road at and including Marble Creek Campground, Mineral Park Campground, and all tributary roads, trailheads, and trails. Full closure orders available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/mbs
Get and go to Watch Duty app for instant info and highway, fire, and county sourced information.
North Cascades Highway Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/238860838432631/
Pioneer and Easy Fires Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560760893080
Comments
North Cascades Highway Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/658591646448416/
Posted by:
Hike-life on Jul 20, 2024 08:12 PM
Why in this fine world is the Cascade Watershed closed clear down to Marble Creek because of a small fire hidden behind the massive Johannesburg Mountain?
Posted by:
Russ Dalton on Jul 24, 2024 12:27 PM
Russ, excellent question.
It involves risk and responsibility. In my life, I am aware of at least six fires that have moved with incredible speed under the right conditions. I will mention four in the last 10 years. 2014: Carlton Complex fire ("During a single nine-hour period, the fire grew at an average rate of 3.8 acres (15,000 m2) per second!"); 2020: Labor Day Fires: "On September 7, a "historic fire event" with high winds resulted in 80 fires and nearly 300,000 acres (120,000 ha) burned....A one year old child was killed and the father and pregnant mother found on the banks of the Columbia River in Okanogan County badly burned, after attempting to outrun the Cold Springs Canyon Fire. The fire was considered by sheriff's detectives a potential homicide, if human-caused." 2022: Bolt Creek Fire -- it moved so fast along the south slope of Baring Mtn that it caught two climbers on Baring and they had to bail. The video they made of their ordeal speaks for itself [https://www.hcn.org/issues/55-8/north-wildfire-we-have-fire-all-around-us-and-we-cant-get-out-hikers/]. 2023: Oregon Fire (under very strong winds, it grew so fast that many could barely respond to an evacuation level 3 warning: "By September the fire had burned 384 structures, 126 of which were primary residences. Additionally, one person died due to the fire").
The state and federal agencies are being cautious until they get a handle on the fire. Having to rescue people from, for example, the Hidden Lake Lookout, the same time they are trying to stop the fire from advancing down the Cascade river corridor to Marblemont puts everyone at risk.
Posted by:
Abam on Jul 24, 2024 01:00 PM
How much of pincer 2 fire is contained. Do you think hidden Lake lookout trailhead will be open by mid August?
Posted by:
sommer sachs on Jul 28, 2024 01:53 PM
Depending upon what this rain has and is doing will likely affect the timing of opening the closed areas.
Posted by:
Abam on Jul 29, 2024 06:15 PM
Thank You for all your information
Posted by:
violet an mae on Aug 01, 2024 05:45 PM
Thank you so much for providing so much useful information regarding all the closures.
Posted by:
Stuke Sowle on Aug 04, 2024 05:34 PM
Hello Abam! You said you'ld be interested in camping and working on the (now closed) South Fork Cascade Trail, how about Silver Creek? You'll have a hard time breaking away from your "fire ambassador" role, it's become a full time job. Next few days? Anyone else?
Posted by:
C P on Aug 07, 2024 01:08 PM
Is this the Silver Creek that comes off the North Fork of the Skykomish River? If so, how far can one drive up the road that is shown on USGS maps? Let me know your schedule on it and what needs to be done (I can supply an excellent looper and a fantastic hand saw.)?
Posted by:
Abam on Aug 07, 2024 01:30 PM
Thank you Abam,
I'll add the tragic Thirtymile Fire up the Chewuch River in 2001 to that list of exlosive growth fires. Plus, whenever recreation access is via a long valley bottom cherry stem road with only exit being teh reverse, if fire is far down such a drainage the fear of a fire crossing the road, blocking egress, and trapping people is a very real threat. Stop traffic at Marble Creek for extra precaution.
Posted by:
John Morrow on Aug 13, 2024 05:50 PM
Oh no! Trail #455 Ptarmigan Ridge is closed.
Posted by:
Christian Gustafson on Aug 14, 2024 09:18 AM