Seasonal closures apply to vehicles, not people

Seasonal closures apply to vehicles, not people

Jan. 24, 2001

Public Lands Update
Toni Kelly,
Visitor Information Specialist, Dolores Office

Winter does not necessarily mean a time of hibernation or lack of activity on the San Juan National Forest.

Although there are many roads within the forest that have seasonal closures, this does not prevent people from getting out and enjoying winter sports or from making a living. There are currently three timber sales in the Boggy Draw area that are being harvested and hauled.

Why does the Forest Service close roads during winter and spring months?

This is one of many frequently asked questions concerning road closures. One primary reason is to protect gravel (which most people in this area can appreciate the cost of replacing and scarcity of) and to prevent rutting, which causes surface damage and drainage problems.

Many seasonal closures only restrict full-sized vehicles, or vehicles over 45 inches in width, but allow snowmobiles, ATVs and certainly non-motorized users.

The intent of these types of seasonal road closures is not to keep people out. In fact, there are many parking lots at many of the forest boundary closure gates designed specifically for snowmobile trailer turn-arounds and to provide parking for winter recreation enthusiasts.

There are parking lots at the following forest boundary locations:

Lower Boggy Draw road (FDR 527); West Mancos road (FDR 561); Echo Basin road (FDR 566); Millwood road (FDR 559), also used as the trailhead for Chicken Creek Ski Area; junction of the Dolores-Norwood (FDR 526) and Cottonwood road (FDR 532).

Besides road surface protection, another benefit of seasonal closures is a higher quality experience for winter sports. Without full-sized vehicle traffic, snow pack on roads is preserved for a longer period, allowing for more optimal conditions for activities requiring a snow base, such as dog sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and sledding.

Why was the seasonal closure in the Boggy Draw area extended to the winter months?

Originally, the roads in the Boggy Draw area, along with many other forest roads, were closed only during the spring months (March 1 - May 31) for road surface protection. However, the Tans-Colorado Pipeline Corporation recently built a pipeline across the Mancos-Dolores District, which has changed the winter access situation, particularly in the Boggy Draw area.

Because the pipeline company needs year-round access to its compressor station, which is located 12 miles inside the forest boundary on the Dolores-Norwood road, the Forest Service has issued a road use permit, allowing the company to snowplow that road up to its station.

This directly affects the Boggy Draw area, which has several non-surfaced roads that can be accessed from the Dolores-Norwood road. In the past, when this road was not plowed, the snow naturally closed access at the forest boundary.

Now, people can drive up to these higher elevation roads via the Dolores-Norwood road, and often damage adjacent road surfaces with their full-sized vehicles. The decision to extend the closure dates was necessary to protect these roads during the winter season, as well as spring.

Why does the Forest Service allow logging trucks in areas where there are seasonal closures?

Sometimes there are active timber sales that are located in areas where there are seasonal closures. They are allowed into these areas under special provisions contained in their timber sale contract.

Timber sale contracts contain provisions addressing road maintenance requirements. If they damage the road, they are required to fix it.

Winter logging is not generally authorized within critical big-game winter habitat.

Are there any seasonal road closures on the Mancos-Dolores District that exclude all motorized travel?

There are several closures in place for wildlife protection that do prohibit all motorized travel, but do not exclude non-motorized travel. During the winter months (Dec. 1 - March 31), big game animals are drawing upon reserved energy supplies to survive. At these times, the herds are especially susceptible to stress caused by the intrusion of motorized traffic. The Forest Service has worked in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Wildlife to determine where these key areas are, and has implemented an annual seasonal closure for these areas to help maintain deer and elk herd populations.

On another note, the closure dates take big-game hunting season into account. Even though it is not unusual for our area to get snow as early as October, the winter closures do not go into effect until after the close of big-game hunting season.

For more information on roads, check out the San Juan National Forest website at www.fs.fed.us/sanjuan, or stop by the Dolores Public Lands Office at 100 N. Sixth St., Dolores, or phone 882-7296.