INDEX — A stretch of North Fork Skykomish Road, which leads to popular trails such as Blanca Lake, is expected to be closed for two years after a violent November flood ripped into the forest service route.
The road is closed to vehicle traffic at mile 14, where Forest Road 63, more commonly called North Fork Skykomish Road, meets Forest Road 65, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Fast-moving flood water in November carved deep washouts into the road, exposed culverts and made slopes alongside the road unstable. In order to reduce the risk to people visiting the forest, the forest service decided to temporarily close the road. The closure started on June 22 and is scheduled to last at least until June 2018.
An alternate trailhead has been set up at milepost 14, where the closure starts. It adds another two miles each way for the hike up to Blanca Lake, which already was a 7.5-mile trek round trip. The closure adds four miles each way for hikers going to the North Fork Skykomish, West Cady or Quartz Creek trailheads.
Blanca Lake alone draws thousands of visitors every summer, according to the forest service. There still is snow up near the lake and it can be dangerous for people who do not have trail finding skills, a map and emergency supplies. The Skykomish Ranger District warns people to be cautious, prepare for the hike and not simply follow other hikers’ footprints in the snow. Camping is no longer allowed near Blanca Lake due to overuse and environmental damage in past years. There are a few sites open along the Blanca Lake Trail at Virgin Lake.
The winter was hard on many roads throughout the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Repairs for damaged forest service roads are costly and it can take years to find the money to pay for them. For example, the Suiattle River Road near Darrington was closed for more than a decade due to two washouts during major floods in the early 2000s.
While the forest service waits on money to repair the North Fork Skykomish Road, Snohomish County continues to work on the Index-Galena Road that connects to the forest service route.
The Index-Galena Road was badly damaged by storms and flooding in 2006. The county has repaired 10 of the 11 originally damaged areas, but the November 2015 flooding tore up more of the road and it’s down to one lane for a stretch at milepost three. The total cost of repairing the Index-Galena Road is estimated at $26.7 million, county spokeswoman Allison Tabiando said. Construction on the final damaged area is scheduled to start in spring 2018.
For more information about the forest road closure or the alternate routes for trails, call the Skykomish Ranger District at 360-677-2414.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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