Segments of Salmo-Priest wilderness trails closed by wildfires
TRAILS -- Several lightning-caused fires are temporarily restricting trail use on the Colville National Forest.
Only a portion of the Shedroof Divide Trail along a spine of the Salmo-Priest Wilderness has been closed since Friday because of a wildfire in the area, the Forest Service says.
A media release issued Friday overstated the closure, officials confirmed today.
The Idaho Panhandle and Colville National Forests have issued a temporary road closure on Trails 312 (Hughes Fork Trail) and a portion of the 512 (Shedroof Divide Trail from trail 311 to 312) in Pend Oreille County for public health and safety because of the the North Fork Hughes Fire in the Salmo-Priest Wilderness. Both of these trails are in close proximity to the fire.
Information on the North Fork Hughes Fires is updated on InciWeb at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5343/.
For additional information, contact the Priest Lake Ranger District, (208) 443-2512.
Public land agencies through out the region are reporting increasingly higher fire danger and stepping up fire-related restrictions on use of chain saws and campfires outside of designated campsites.
Fire managers on the Colville National Forest are actively suppressing two fires that resulted from a lightning event with little wetting rain that moved across the northern portion of the Colville National Forest the early hours of Saturday, July 15.
Firefighters are suppressing a 70-acre fire in the Barnaby Creek drainage, approximately 5 miles west of Lake Ellen in Ferry County. This fire will be visible from the Lake Ellen Campgrounds and from those recreating on Lake Roosevelt near the Kettle Falls Marina.
The second fire is the 40-acre Noisy Creek Fire burning approximately 3 miles east of Sullivan Lake in northern Pend Oreille County. Smoke will be visible from Sullivan Lake and the Campgrounds located at Sullivan Lake.
Steep, rugged terrain with hot, windy and increasingly dryer conditions will challenge firefighter’s ability to control these fires. Temporary access restrictions or closures may be necessary for public safety and the public is urged to use caution when traveling in the area due to increased firefighting traffic.
Expect temporarily restrictions on the trails from Sullivan Lake area to Hall Mountain.
