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Mineral Basin is calling to me

natius

natius

Kill cookies! Make'm pay
Location
Park City, UT
Does anyone know the official date when the gate will be opening this year? I can't find the info anywhere. The internet sucks, or perhaps the internet is not the problem after all .. . .. .
 
M

Meat_

Banned
Location
Lehi
There is no official date yet. Scoutabout and I were just up there and the snow is mostly melted. They also had a back hoe up there working on the road.

The Alpine Loop will open for Memorial Day though.
 
Greg

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
The Forest Service always shoots to have the gate above Tibble Fork opened for Memorial Day weekend. The only way they won't have it opened by the weekend is if they need to do major work on the road, but they usually have the roads ready from what I've seen in years past.
 
M

Meat_

Banned
Location
Lehi
Greg said:
The Forest Service always shoots to have the gate above Tibble Fork opened for Memorial Day weekend. The only way they won't have it opened by the weekend is if they need to do major work on the road, but they usually have the roads ready from what I've seen in years past.
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Yup, the road work is done... they finished it today. We talked to one of the dudes at the gate and they hadn't set a date for Mineral as of yet.
 
M

Meat_

Banned
Location
Lehi
I think they'll beat that this year. We made it 1/3 the way up to Forest Lake, we made it past the switch backs in Mineral Basin before we hit snow, the road is bare up past Silver Lake.
 
S

scoutabout

None
Yeah, I suspect it will be open before Memorial Day. Although...I'd like to convince them otherwise. When parts of the trails are blocked by snow is when most of the off-trail damage and bypass cutting occurs. As much as I love going up to AF, I think it should remain closed until the trails are clear of snow to avoid damage.
 
Greg

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
scoutabout said:
Yeah, I suspect it will be open before Memorial Day. Although...I'd like to convince them otherwise. When parts of the trails are blocked by snow is when most of the off-trail damage and bypass cutting occurs. As much as I love going up to AF, I think it should remain closed until the trails are clear of snow to avoid damage.
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That's pretty much what they do... wait until the last moment to open the trail to minimize damage due to wet ground, yet still please the masses.
 
S

scoutabout

None
Greg said:
That's pretty much what they do... wait until the last moment to open the trail to minimize damage due to wet ground, yet still please the masses.
Click to expand...

For the last 3 seasons they've stated they wanted to open by Memorial Day, and have been close. I would like to push the date into the end of June. The new bypass at Forest Lake was a DIRECT result of snow being on the trail at the beginning of the season.

It did work out because it allowed us to close the original trail and then use the bypass so we could protect the new fence. But that's not the point. :)

I think it should be closed longer. I've recommended it to the District Ranger and Rec Planner, and I'll keep making the case. But I don't think it'll sway the long-standing plan of being open by Memorial Day.

We'll just need more Trail Patrol up there in June to keep people on trail. :)
 
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