Gifford Pinchot National Forest

2009 Storm Damage

June 26, 2009: The temporary bridge at Benham Creek on Forest Road 25, south of Randle Washington, is in place and open to traffic. For more information about Forest Road conditions please visit the Forest Road Report.

May 28, 2009: Work Begins on Forest Road 25 Temporary Bridge.   Work has started on a temporary bridge over Benham Creek on Forest Road 25, south of Randle, Wash. Forest Road 25 will be closed just south of Iron Creek during the construction. Forest visitors should be prepared to encounter dump truck traffic on Forest Roads 76, 28, and 23. The temporary bridge should be in place and open to traffic by late-June.

February 04, 2009: Bridge Closures Affect Winter Forest Visitors.   Visitors to the Forest need to use caution and expect to encounter slides and downed trees on Forest roads as well as storm damaged roads and bridge closures. Visitors to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest should check conditions before driving on Forest roads.

January 16, 2009:  As clouds have lifted following the strong Pacific storms which dealt a heavy blow to the region last week, Forest crews are discovering damage to a number of Forest roads. Visitors to the Forest need to use caution and expect to encounter slides, and downed trees on Forest roads. Visitors to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest should check conditions before driving on Forest roads over the coming days.  For addition information please follow this link to the January 16, 2009, News Release.

January 09, 2009:  All Cowlitz Valley Ranger District Sno-Parks are closed until they can be evaluated for public safety, due to slides and flooding. More information on Sno-Parks.

January 09, 2009:  The Cowlitz Valley Ranger Station in Randle has reopened.  However, access to Randle via US Highway 12 remains limited do to slides and localized flooding.  Please check the Washington DOT web site for updates on US Hwy. 12.

January 8, 2009:  Several Forest roads, including Roads 25, 54 and 90, have experienced landslides and storm damage. The Cowlitz River is approaching flood stage with water over Forest Road 23 south of Randle. Additional information about river levels in Western Washington is available through the National Weather Service.

Many Forest roads are closed for the winter. Roads accessing most Sno-Parks around the Forest are still open, but some are affected by this storm or are still closed by recent heavy snowfalls.

For current Forest road information, please contact Gifford Pinchot National Forest offices. The Forest Headquarters in Vancouver can be reached at 360-891-5000; Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument Headquarters in Amboy can be reached at 360-449-7800, and: Mount Adams Ranger District in Trout Lake can be reached at 509-395-3400.

For the lastest information on Forest Roads, Trails and Campgounds please visit the current conditions page on the Forest web site.

Link to News Release January 7, 2009

2006 Storm Damage information

US Forest Service
Gifford Pinchot National Forest - Vancouver, WA
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Amboy, WA
Last Modified: Wednesday, 01 July 2009 at 16:03:18 EDT