Weather Keeping Campgrounds Closed For Holiday Weekend
May 22, 2019, 6:34 PM
SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — If you plan to camp in Utah’s mountains this holiday weekend, check ahead for closures, and do not underestimate the wintry conditions.
Most high elevation campgrounds are still closed, due to deep snow, and that includes areas with reserved sites.
The Mirror Lake Highway is still closed about 21 miles from Kamas. Many years the road is open by Memorial Day. This year, that’s still weeks away.
“It’s been an interesting week. Trying to get some recreation sites open,“ said Matthew Lane, the recreation staff officer for the Heber-Kamas Ranger District.
A number of campgrounds which usually open by now remain closed. Lane said there is still deep snow across the mountain range: 62 inches at Trial Lake, and 79 inches at Bald Mountain. In fact, he said, that snow is 10 inches deeper today than it was last week, and the temperature was 34° at mid day.
“We’ve had a lot of rain and snow, which isn’t too far out of the ordinary,” said Lane. “But, for Memorial Day weekend, it’s different than what I think most people have in mind.”
There is too much snow to even access some campgrounds.
“It does take some time for us, once we’re able to get into these campgrounds, to make them safe: cut down hazardous trees and make it presentable and ready for the public.”
But, he said, you can find campgrounds open in every national forest district of the state. Right now, the Forest Service is expecting crowds lighter than a typical Memorial Day weekend because of the weather forecast. They’re not sure whether campgrounds will be crowded.
“Maybe people will go down south,” said Lane. “Maybe people will stay home. I would expect them (the campgrounds) to be close to capacity. But, we’re not sure if they’re going to fill up or not.”
The Forest Service is urging safety around rivers and creeks which are running fast and frigid in the mountains.
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— Jed Boal (@jedboal) May 22, 2019
“It’s been very muddy, very wet. So stay away from high streams.“
When you are in your vehicle looking for an adventure, it may still be too sloppy to get off the main road, or you may need a tow.
“It’s really muddy,” said Lane. “If you look around there’s water everywhere, in places where we normally don’t get water running, and high water standing. So, be very careful about getting your vehicle off the road at this point.”
Be ready for rain and snow this holiday weekend. Be prepared: dress in layers, wear waterproof footgear, a hat and gloves.