The U.S. Forest Service today announced eight dates when it will waive fees that are usually collected to support forest maintenance and amenities.

Visitors to national forests will not pay fees on the following dates in 2012:

• Saturday-Monday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend
• June 9: Get Outdoors Day
• Sept. 29: National Public Lands Day
• Nov. 10-12: Veterans Day weekend

Despite the Forest Service’s fee waivers, the agency does not usually charge for visitors to national forests. In fact, the Forest Service does not charge for access on 98 percent of its land, said a news release. More …

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Gifford Pinchot National Forest officials this afternoon said Forest Road 54 will open tonight.

The road was closed at its western entrance to the national forest due to a major slide and flood event three years ago and was temporarily opened with emergency fixes two years ago.

Permanent repairs were made last month. This included rebuilding fill that was washed out, construction of a very large retaining wall, guardrail and repaving the surface.

From Gifford Pinchot National Forest:

Forest Road 90 will close for two days on Sept. 13 and 14
limiting all travel along FR 90 in and out of the Gifford Pinchot National
Forest along this route. The closure will occur approximately five miles
east of Cougar, Wash.  No detours are available, though all areas will
remain accessible via other routes.

This closure will allow contractors to resurface the roadway over the Swift
Power Canal. Asphalt was removed from this bridge during a one-day closure
in August. This project is meant to maintain

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Gifford Pinchot National Forest officials just announced they have increased the fire warning level. The impact on the general public will be minimal, however.

Forest officials said the Industrial Fire Precaution Level has moved from Level I to Level II, increasing restrictions for work on the Forest.

The only effect on the general public is a restriction on the use of chainsaws. The new restriction means chainsaws may not be run from 1-8 p.m.

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest fire danger rating is now at moderate.

Camp fires should be completely extinguished before departing camp at any time. Keep a …

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Forest Service Road 99 on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest will open for the season Friday morning. The road provides access to popular east-side Mount St. Helens attractions such as Windy Ridge, Meta Lake and the Miner’s Car.

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument offers daily ranger-led activities at sites along Road 99, including “Eruption Talks” at the Windy Ridge Viewpoint. The programs will start Friday.

Interpretive programs offered at Lahar Viewpoint on Road 83 while Road 99 remained closed will continue Fridays- Sundays.

Programs along Road 99 will run seven day a week through the remainder of the …

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With the beginning of the traditional start of the summer recreation season coming this weekend, regardless of above normal snowpack many campgrounds, roads and trails on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest will be open:

Here is a rundown of conditions on the forest:

Camping

Some of the campgrounds open for Memorial Day Weekend include:

• Beaver, north of Carson
• Government Mineral Springs, north of Carson
• Iron Creek, south of Randle
• Kalama Horse Camp, north of Cougar
• La Wis Wis, east of Packwood (no water yet – reduced fee)
• Lower Falls, east of Cougar

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Officials at Gifford Pinchot National Forest this morning announced Forest Road 83 to Marble Mountain and Cougar sno-parks will not be plowed for the remainder of the season. The sno-parks are in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

There is currently eight inches of snow on FR 83, and FR 8303 is not
passable to Ape Cave or Trail of Two Forests.

The Cowlitz Valley Ranger District reported 12 inches of snow on FR 25
beyond Benham Creek where plowing stops.

Recreation Lead Jack Thorne recommended Forest visitors exercise extreme caution when deciding to drive on …

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Two major Gifford Pinchot National Forest road will temporarily close for construction projects designed to enhance visitor safety and fish passage.

Forest Road 90 crosses over an unstable rockslide. This section requires the installation of two new culverts and additional signs for visitor safety.

Forest Road 90 will be closed from milepost 28 to milepost 30 due to
roadway construction. Construction will begin Monday. Signs near the project-site will provide detour information.

See the Gifford Pinchot website for details on this project.

Replacement of Green Fork Bridge on Forest Road 42 is causing the temporary closure of this …

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