Winter wildlife restrictions will lift on the Bridger-Teton National Forest on May 1.
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Winter wildlife restrictions
will lift on the Bridger-Teton National Forest
on May 1.
There is a significant snowpack across
the forest this year and it has been melting
off slowly and steadily. However, roads may
still be drifted, flooded or impassable due
to lingering snowpack after May 1. Visitors
should be prepared to walk into areas or take
their horses. While there won’t be any restrictions
to human presence, some roads may not
be drivable. The forest patrollers will be assessing
the roads and trailheads in the days
leading up to May 1 and the conditions will
be updated regularly as spring melt off continues.
Areas that are popular in the spring but as
of today are still drifted with snow include
Horse Creek, Wilson Creek, Josie’s Ridge,
Adam’s Canyon and Leeks Canyon. These
areas are popular for visitors wanting to look
for antler sheds but with predicted weather,
it isn’t possible to forecast if the roads are
going to be passable with vehicles. Additionally
all of the areas of the forest around Hoback
Junction including the south slopes of
Munger Mountain, the area near Camp Creek
and the hillsides east of Hoback Junction are
still under a deep lingering snowpack.
People come to the Bridger-Teton from
long distances to look for antlers that have
been dropped as wildlife moves from the
winter ranges to higher ground. The forest
reminds all recreationists that antlers are not
available for gathering on this side of the
Continental Divide until May 1 each year.
The status of roads on the Jackson Ranger
District for those planning to venture out on
May 1 is the following:
• Gros Ventre road – lower gate opens
at approximately 6 a.m.; road open to Slate
Creek; upper road closed to motorized vehicles
until June 1; non-motorized use is
allowed. Several landslides near Atherton
Creek are being repaired this week.
• Flat Creek road – the gate on the National
Elk Refuge opens at 8 a.m. and people will be
able to drive to the forest trailhead. The road
is closed past trailhead due to snow
• Curtis Canyon road – the gate on the National
Elk Refuge opens at 8 a.m. and people
will be able to drive up Curtis to the campground/
overlook area. The upper part of the
road will likely be closed due to snow
• Shadow Mountain north and south roads
– likely closed due to snow
From Bridger-Teton
National Forest
• Ditch Creek road – likely closed due to
snow
• Fall Creek road – likely closed due to
snow
• Granite Creek road – likely closed due
to snow
• Mosquito Creek road – likely closed due
to snow
• North Fork Fall Creek – likely closed due
to snow
Visitors to the Bridger-Teton National
Forest can obtain free copies of motor vehicle
use map by visiting http://www.fs.usda.
gov/main/btnf/maps-pubs. No wheeled motor
vehicle travel is permitted off of designated
roads. The higher elevation roads take a long
time to dry out after the winter. Even at lower
elevations, pockets of wet areas can keep an
entire road closed.
Depending on spring warmup and drier
weather, the Bridger-Teton may be able to
report the opening of some lower elevation
roads by May 1, but some years the wet conditions
prevent that from happening. When
roads are wet, vehicle travel can cause considerable
resource damage by creating deep
ruts. Road widening can also occur when vehicles
drive around deep pools of water. The
chances of getting stuck are higher earlier in
the season.
Once roads open, remember to not attempt
routes above your skill level and be prepared
in case you get stuck. Be aware of damage
driving on wet roads can cause, including
deep ruts and unauthorized routes. Changes
in weather can result in impassable conditions
even when roads are open. To learn if
a road is open, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/
recmain/btnf/recreation for the latest in trail,
road and campground conditions.