Local News

South Fork Gold Creek Road Closed

Apr 21, 2016

South Fork Gold Creek Road, South of Twisp, Washington was closed on Friday after it washed out, making travel unsafe.

Water flowing past a plugged culvert on the 4330 road exceeded the capacity of three ditch relief culverts. Forest engineers estimate that about 70 percent of the road is gone in the 1500 foot stretch impacted by the washout. Baricades have been placed both above and below the damaged section, closing it to travel for the foreseeable future. The closed segment of the South Fork Gold Creek Road begins at the 4330/4330-100 junction and continues to the 4330/4330-600/4330-200 junction at the top.

Springtime, particularly in areas where fires burned the previous year, can bring debris flows, plugged culverts and road washouts. Individuals traveling National Forest Roads are urged to use caution. Suggestions include: letting someone know your travel route, bringing adequate supplies for a longer duration outing and driving slowly enough to respond to the surprise around the corner.

Updated information about road conditions is posted to the forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/detail/okawen/alerts-notices . For more information, please contact the Methow Valley Ranger District at 509-996-4000.