Beginning Tuesday, June 12, the Lyda Camp and Jordan Creek OHV Recreation Areas in the Tillamook State Forest will be closed for forest operations, the Oregon Department of Forestry said. They are expected to reopen before the end of July.
Additionally, access to Browns Camp will be affected by the closure of Beaverdam Road to replace a bridge starting July 18. Visitors trying to reach the campground can still access the popular OHV site by using University Falls Road. ODF said the closure began at the junction with Firebreak One Road to the 3-way stop at the 2.25 mile marker.
“Please use caution and carry a CB radio if possible,” ODF advised would be-travelers of the University Falls Road detour; the road there is a narrow road with two-way traffic.
The route is expected to reopen in mid-November.
Meanwhile, on the west side of the Tillamook State Forest, Kilchis Forest Road is now closed around the milepost 8.5 through October, also for bridge work. Access up to the closure is still possible from the west on Kilchis River Road and from the east via Cedar Butte Road.
The Oregon Department of Forestry maintains a listing of active road closures and hazards on forest roads in the Tillamook State Forest online at www.oregon.gov/odf/recreation/pages/roadclosure.aspx.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.