Beginning this week, the Parks Ranger District portion of the Buffalo Pass Road (Forest Road 60) will be temporarily closed to the public for removal of beetle-killed hazard trees, the U.S. Forest Service announced in a news release.
The route is a popular one between North Park and the Yampa Valley that provides year-round recreation access.
Initially, while logging operations occur along isolated sections east of the junction with the Hidden Lakes Road (Forest Road 20), the closure will be intermittent with one-hour delays for the first gates at this junction as well as near the summit at the junction with Forest Road 310, according to the release.
The road will be closed each week between Monday at 7 a.m. and Friday at 5 p.m. Friday through Monday at 7 a.m. Contract work is expected to be completed by December 1, the release stated.
“I recognize the importance of not shutting down this popular route all week and have decided to keep it open on weekends and holidays,” said Parks District Ranger Mike Wright in the release. “While I do understand that this will still impact some hunters in the coming months, this project is needed to ensure long-term public safety.”
Forest Roads 625 and 627 are also expected to be closed at their junctions with the Teal Lake Road (Forest Road 615) this week for hazard tree removal. Forest Road 625 is located about 1 mile northwest from the junction of Forest Roads 60 and 615. Forest Road 627 is located about 1.5 miles north of Teal Lake Campground, the release stated.
Depending on when work is completed on Forest Road 60, the contractor may begin clearing hazard trees on Forest Road 615 until snow shuts down their operations. More information will be provided to the public once the next stage of operations is known, according to the release.
For more information about the status of this project, contact the Parks Ranger District at 970-723-8204.