Why have the “temporary” trail closures lasted so long?
The original plan was to reopen trails 649 and 678 as soon as possible after the Hayman fire with some possible reroutes. Unfortunately, a couple things happened. One is that some of the rehabilitation budget that was supposed to go toward reopening those trails was diverted elsewhere. The other is that the new travel management plan process was started and those trails are ones that were being scrutinized anyway. The reopening (if it ever happens) has now been delayed until the new Travel Management Plan is accepted. See the Forest Service information on their website for details or check the news page for additional stories on the process.
