Popular Bumblebee campground closed this summer

One of North Idaho’s most popular campgrounds will be closed this year while the Forest Service removes hazardous trees. Towering Douglas firs are part of the ambience at the Bumblebee campground, located at the confluence of Bumblebee Creek and the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. But an outbreak of root rot has severely weakened the trees, leaving them vulnerable to blowing down, said Jason Kirchner, a Forest Service spokesman. Removing the big, mature trees will change the look of the campground, but “doing nothing was not an option,” he said. Bumbleebee campground has 25 sites, which typically are full every weekend during the summer.