Comment sought on proposed winter road closures near Lolo Pass
To manage access and maintain an existing recreation opportunity in the Lolo Pass area the Missoula Ranger District is proposing to close two roads that access two popular recreation back-country skiing and snowboarding areas known as “Crystal Theater,” and “The Spot.” Under the proposal the roads would be closed to motorized travel in the winter.
These roads are already closed to wheeled vehicles yearlong and to snowmobiles from 10/15 to 12/1. The winter motorized closures would maintain the existing non-motorized backcountry skiing and snowboarding opportunities in the area and be consistent with the existing summer motorized closure of the two roads. The two road currently receive very light motorized winter-time use and the proposed road closures would not affect the existing groomed snowmobile trail system or any of the current off road snowmobile play areas, according to Andy Kulla, Missoula Ranger District Recreation Staff Officer.
“We are trying to maintain a recreation opportunity near Missoula in the future with little or no restriction on existing recreation use patterns,” Kulla said. “It is specific to these few sections where the Crystal Theater and The Spot with their unique geographic characteristics provide a highly-valued winter-time backcountry skiing and snowboarding experience.”
In the 2010 Legacy Acquisition, the Missoula Ranger District of the Lolo National Forest acquired 39,249 acres of former Plum Creek Timberland in the Lolo Creek drainage south of Missoula. Since that time the Forest Service has been reviewing and gathering information on the historical recreation uses that have occurred on these acquired lands in order to better understand and manage these lands in the future.
Three areas in upper Lolo Creek have historically, and are currently, used by backcountry skiers, snowboarders and snowshoers seeking a non motorized quiet experience. These areas either included or centered around what was previously Plum Creek land, but are now National Forest.
According to Kulla, the areas provide unique recreation experiences because they are close to Missoula, close to plowed open roads, have dependable snow, offer diverse terrain and are relatively safe from avalanches. Two historically used areas that were formerly owned by Plum Creek and meet these criteria are known as the Crystal Theater (Section 3, T10N R24W) and The Spot (Section 35 T11N R24W). Lee Creek is the third area and used to have cross country trails but the marked trails were abandoned in the 1990’s due to an increase in Plum Creek logging and wintertime log hauling. Lee Creek Road 699 has been closed to motorized vehicles in the winter for decades from Lee Creek Campground to the Montana / Idaho Stateline.
These backcountry areas in Lolo Creek are surrounded by a 226 mile groomed snowmobile trail system that lies in both Montana and Idaho. Ninety-eight of these 226 miles lie in Montana on the Missoula Ranger District in the Lolo Creek Watershed. Over 100 square miles (over 65,000 acres) in the Lolo Creek drainage are open to snowmobiling on groomed and un-groomed terrain.
Missoula District Ranger Paul Matter is asking for public comments on this proposal. Please direct comments to Al Hilshey at ahilshey@fs.fed.us or at the Missoula Ranger District; Building 24A, Fort Missoula; Missoula, MT 59804 by June 15, 2011. For additional information, contact the Missoula Ranger District at (406) 329-3814.
