providence canyon conditions

[shizzdizzle]

It would be great to get a group going to repair the road. I don't know much about the subject but I would imagine the USFS is required (or will require us) to abide by some unreasonable safety codes causing the project to be extremely expensive and time consuming. It definitely won't hurt to try and coordinate something with the forest service, but I am not exactly optimistic about the outcome.

I like PCC. We could also go with something like POORUFTROPCRIATM (People Of Off-Roading United For The Repair Of Providence Canyon Road In A Timely Manner), kinda catchy

 

[shizzdizzle]

Here is an update on the Providence Canyon situation. I stumbled onto this HJ article that was written about a month ago.

http://news.hjnews.com/features/article_b152c870-5e5e-11e1-b488-0019bb2963f4.html

To sum it up in a few quotes:

“We want to help and if they’ll let us help we will in any way,” said Leishman. “We have offered to take equipment up there and offered time and labor and materials to fix the road but we haven’t heard back on that.”

Pollock says rebuilding and modifying the roads will require engineering work and heavy equipment. Leishman says local contractors and workers are knowledgeable enough about the area and process to make their own changes to the road.
“What we could do for $100,000 or $200,000 will take the federal government $1.2 million to do,” he said.

"People have approached me saying volunteers could get involved to get it fixed and repaired quickly,” he said. “But we were in no position to perpetuate that and the Forest Service has told us it can’t do that. They tell us it needs to be done by following procedure and needs to be done correctly."

So from what I understand the forest service is only going to fix the road if they get federal funding, and they won't accept any volunteer work. Don't you worry guys, our government is taking care of this! The Government is famous for getting things done fast, efficiently, and under budget, oh wait...

 

[Cherokeester]

Well I read the whole article, thanks for posting it. I missed that in the HJ before. It reads like a major Charlie Foxtrot. There is more than one brand in the fire. USFS, the Bear River Watershed Council and others. Here is what really got me though. "We have some photographs of people who drove around the barriers and ended up in the ditch with their vehicles upside down,” he said. That is just fine jim Damndy, doesn't help the cause at all. I figure I will call Kathy Jo Pollock and talk to her myself.

We could have another heavy run-off spring and keep on damaging the road, I don't know.

 

[shizzdizzle]

Yea I was confused about the part where the Bear River Watershed Council acted like they looked into trying to get the road fixed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they kind of want Providence Canyon totally closed to any motor traffic forever? I mean they won't come right out and say it because that would cause a huge backlash from the community, but does anyone doubt that progressively closing down the majority of Cache Valley off road trails is their objective? I would really like to hear everybody's opinion on this group.

I am all for being responsible, staying primarily on trails, and leaving areas better than I found them. I would like to put aside our differences and work with this group to keep trails and the surrounding wilderness well maintained, but from my observations the BRWC seems like the kind of organization that would extend their hand to us and then stab us in the back. I see a bunch of crazy passive aggressive environmentalists confronting "violators" with cameras. This Dan Miller guy always uses the tactic of "I once road an atv on a trail so I obviously don't want to ban them". Am I close to the general consensus of the forum members about the BRWC, or am I misunderstanding them?

We could have another heavy run-off spring and keep on damaging the road, I don't know.

I just read that we are supposed to have a light run-off this year, so hopefully any additional damage will be minimal.

 

[SportSawyer]

.... from my observations the BRWC seems like the kind of organization that would extend their hand to us and then stab us in the back.

BINGO. We have a winner.

 

[Yota]

I was up there last weekend, the run off this year imo is about a quarter or a third of the run off last spring.
It has gotten warm and could change but the snow is melting quick.

I think the most effective repairing would be to leave as much new damage and trenches from last year, when rebuilding the road.. The water already chose it's natural path down the canyon, if all this damaged was patched/filled it would create the same paths again the next time we have higher amounts of run off. I don't like the under estimating of what civilians could do to repair this road.

 

[prerunnerwannabe]

I just got off the phone with the Logan Ranger District, and the lady (Friendly person BTW) said that they will start reparing the trail this fall, so it should be open next year.
*sigh* Another year goes by without us being able to use the trail. But I guess at least it will be opened again right?!:thumbs:

 

[crawldaddy]

From the Herald journal in today's newspaper.

http://news.hjnews.com/news/article_5a513316-fa1e-11e1-ac2b-0019bb2963f4.html

Repair work on Providence Canyon Road will begin next week, effectively closing the canyon to all uses starting Monday.

Work is expected to run through the early part of November.

Throughout the time it’s closed, the U.S. Forest Service will use funds received through the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads to repair damage due to flooding in spring 2011.

The road has been closed only to motorized use since July 1, 2011. Starting Monday, it will be closed to all use.

Closures will include 500 feet on either side of the road — including the Providence Trail — from the barriers located about 0.4 miles from the U.S. Forest boundary. The closure continues about two miles east of the junction with the Providence Canyon four-by-four road.

 

[rustyjeep21]

Thanks for the update. all of us up here in southeast idaho have been itchy to come back. If the USFS decides they want and or need voulenteers we would love to come help.

 

[tony moniz]

i second that.
we aren't too far away and love the area.
i know when the projects get big like this they don't take much help but if we can help in any way we are here for the taking.

 

[Toad]

Word on the street is it is opened back up. I heard a wealthy roller coaster building providence local threatened a law suit that finally got the ball rolling.

 

[Rot Box]

Good news. If anyone could light the fire it would be that guy

 

[Kevin B.]

Really? Assuming it's legally open, when's it likely to be snowed in and unnavigable?

 

[Cherokeester]

Well we got 6 inches of snow in Wellsville last night, I am going to run up Providence canyon tomorrow and check it out.

 

[XJEEPER]

So, what's the verdict.....open or closed? Love to do a snow run up Prov again.

 

[Cherokeester]

I did not make it up there as planned, maybe tomorrow (friday). I have been so dang busy.

 

[Toad]

Did you make it?

 

[sixstringsteve]

a snow run sounds like lots of fun.

 

[XJEEPER]

We did one a few years ago in late Nov-early Dec timeframe and it was a blast. We had about 5 rigs and we would up breaking trail through 24" of snow in the basin. We went up Prov and out Right Hand fork to Logan Canyon.

 

[Cherokeester]

I went up there today, the canyon is NOT open. It is open past the 1 mile parking lot for about another mile, it leaves you short of the quarry about a mile or a little more. The sign on the gate said it would be open on or about November 15th but the thing is they usually close the lower gate for the winter before or close to that date. They have been working on the road and they have the heavy machines up there. I will go up in a few days and check the progress.