Forest Closures Due to Wildfire
Temporary Recreation Closures Due to Wildfire Damage
After unprecedented wildfire activity, temporary closures may be in place in some areas to protect public safety. Always check conditions and know before you go.
Check Forest Specific Alerts for Active Wildfire Closures:
- Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
- Colville National Forest
- Deschutes National Forest
- Fremont-Winema National Forest
- Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- Malheur National Forest
- Mt. Hood National Forest
- Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
- Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
- Umpqua National Forests
- Ochoco National Forest & Crooked River National Grassland
- Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- Olympic National Forest
- Siuslaw National Forest
- Umatilla National Forest
- Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
- Willamette National Forests
About Wildfire Closures
After a wildfire, temporary closures may be in place in some areas to protect public safety. Closed areas may have unstable soils, falling-rocks, or fire-weakened trees that need to be removed.
Work crews and heavy equipment may also be working in these areas and need access points and roadways clear to conduct post-fire recovery work.
Even after wildfires are contained, some roads may remain closed to address post-fire safety and recovery needs, including damage assessments, protection of resources until fragile areas have stabilized or repairs are completed, and for any necessary risk mitigation work.
Most closures are resolved quickly. Areas that are especially large, or where damage is more extensive, or where weather, terrain, availability of motor vehicle access, and other factors pose significant challenges, can take much longer.
Recreation areas that sustained wildfire damage may remain closed for some time, even once the area closure has been lifted, as they may require extensive project work to recover.
Some roads may remain closed until hazard trees are removed or infrastructure work, such as bridges and culvert repairs or replacements, are completed.