As of Wednesday, August 12, campfires will not be allowed in the back country of Glacier National Park. Campfires will continue to be allowed only in designated sites in front country campgrounds.
Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow said, “The park is experiencing extreme fire conditions and to help reduce the risk of fire, we are implementing fire restrictions for our back country campgrounds and recreation sites.” Mow continued, “The back country restrictions will help to protect public and employee safety, as well as protect park resources and facilities.”
Only liquid petroleum or LPG-fueled stoves, lanterns or heating devices will be allowed in back country campgrounds in Glacier National Park.
At this time, campfires are only allowed in park-provided metal or concrete fire rings located in front country campgrounds in Glacier National Park. These campgrounds include:
Apgar
Avalanche
Bowman Lake
Cut Bank
Fish Creek
Kintla Lake
Logging Creek
Many Glacier
Quartz Lake
Sprague Creek
St. Mary
Two Medicine
PLEASE NOTE- Stage 1 fire restrictions remain in effect for Northwest Montana. Stage I fire restrictions apply to campfires and smoking. During Stage I, “Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire” is prohibited unless noted in the exemptions. Exemptions include fires fueled solely by liquid petroleum or LPG, or other activities for which there is a permit or written authorization. In addition to the campfire restrictions, smoking is prohibited unless within an enclosed vehicle, building, or in an area three feet in diameter, that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
The restrictions will remain in effect until there is a significant long-term change in fire danger.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
The Thompson Fire Expands to 11,400 acres
Updated as of 9:00 pm MST:
The Thompson Fire, started on August 9th in the remote Nyack area, located in the south-central region of Glacier National Park, has multiplied in size by 6 times over the last 24 hours. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
The lack of moisture, high temperatures, low humidity, and dry vegetation have resulted in extreme fire behavior and fire growth. The fire is now estimated to be 11,400 acres as of this evening. The smoke plume is visible from areas on both the west and east sides of the Continental Divide.
A Type III Interagency Incident Command Team is working with Glacier National Park to respond to the fire. There are currently 35 fire personnel and two helicopters assigned, with additional air resources available. A Type II Incident Management Team has been ordered.
The Team is using contain and confine strategy to manage the fire. This is being accomplished by using aerial resources with water bucket drops to cool hotspots. Fire managers are using natural (rocky) barriers to confine the fire. The National Park Service Upper and Lower Nyack Backcountry Patrol Cabins remain threatened by the fire. Containment actions are being taken to protect the lower cabin. These actions include fuel mitigation actions around the site and structure wrap of the cabin.
The safety of public and incident personnel is the highest priority on all incidents. At this time, ground resources cannot be safely used due to the remote, rugged terrain and the lack of safety zones within the area.
The wildfire has prompted closure of the Nyack and Coal Creek areas, including trails and backcountry campsites. There will be additional trail closures in the area due to increased fire activity. For updated information on trail status within the park, please click here.
The Reynolds Creek Fire also continues to burn within the fire perimeter on the east side of the park. For more information on this fire, please click here.
Although three wildfires are currently burning in Glacier, the rest of the park is still open with tons of outstanding hiking opportunities still available. Remember, the park is more than one million acres in size, and there's still plenty of epic Glacier National Park scenery to explore. For more information on many of the hikes in these areas, please click here.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
The Thompson Fire, started on August 9th in the remote Nyack area, located in the south-central region of Glacier National Park, has multiplied in size by 6 times over the last 24 hours. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
The lack of moisture, high temperatures, low humidity, and dry vegetation have resulted in extreme fire behavior and fire growth. The fire is now estimated to be 11,400 acres as of this evening. The smoke plume is visible from areas on both the west and east sides of the Continental Divide.
The Team is using contain and confine strategy to manage the fire. This is being accomplished by using aerial resources with water bucket drops to cool hotspots. Fire managers are using natural (rocky) barriers to confine the fire. The National Park Service Upper and Lower Nyack Backcountry Patrol Cabins remain threatened by the fire. Containment actions are being taken to protect the lower cabin. These actions include fuel mitigation actions around the site and structure wrap of the cabin.
The safety of public and incident personnel is the highest priority on all incidents. At this time, ground resources cannot be safely used due to the remote, rugged terrain and the lack of safety zones within the area.
The wildfire has prompted closure of the Nyack and Coal Creek areas, including trails and backcountry campsites. There will be additional trail closures in the area due to increased fire activity. For updated information on trail status within the park, please click here.
The Reynolds Creek Fire also continues to burn within the fire perimeter on the east side of the park. For more information on this fire, please click here.
Although three wildfires are currently burning in Glacier, the rest of the park is still open with tons of outstanding hiking opportunities still available. Remember, the park is more than one million acres in size, and there's still plenty of epic Glacier National Park scenery to explore. For more information on many of the hikes in these areas, please click here.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Monday, August 10, 2015
Identity of Victim in Grizzly Attack Released
A 63-year old man from Billings, Montana, has been identified as the victim of last week's grizzly bear attack in Yellowstone. Around noon on Friday, August 7, Lance Crosby was found dead approximately .5 miles from the Elephant Back Loop Trail in a popular off-trail area in the Lake Village area of the park. Crosby was a long-term seasonal employee of Medcor, the company that operates three urgent care clinics in the park. He had worked and lived in Yellowstone for five seasons and was an experienced hiker.
The investigation into Crosby’s death continues, but the preliminary results show that he was attacked by at least one grizzly bear. His body was found partially consumed and cached, or covered, and partial tracks at the scene indicate that an adult female grizzly and at least one cub-of-the-year were present and likely involved in the attack. While the exact cause of death has not been determined, investigators have identified what appear to be defensive wounds on Crosby’s forearms. DNA evidence was recovered at the scene and will be used to help identify the bear/s involved. A forensic autopsy is scheduled for later today.
Wildlife biologists set bear traps in the area of the attack on Friday evening. One bear was captured during the overnight hours and biologists confirmed later that it was an adult female grizzly. To date, no other bears have been captured and traps remain set in the hopes of catching other bears that are in the area. Biologists have obtained scat samples, paw measurements, and DNA evidence from the bear and this information will be used to determine if the captured bear was the one that attacked Crosby and partially consumed his body. If the bear is determined as having been involved, it will be removed from the population through euthanasia.
“The decision to euthanize a bear is one that we do not take lightly. As park managers, we are constantly working to strike a balance between the preservation of park resources and the safety of our park visitors and employees,” said Dan Wenk, superintendent of Yellowstone National Park. “Our decision is based on the totality of the circumstances in this unfortunate event. Yellowstone has had a grizzly bear management program since 1983. The primary goals of this program are to minimize bear-human interactions, prevent human-caused displacement of bears from prime food sources, and to decrease the risk of bear-caused human injuries.”
The Elephant Back Loop Trail, Natural Bridge Trail, and the immediate area is closed until further notice. All of Yellowstone National Park is considered bear country. Hikers are advised to stay on designated trails, travel in groups of three or more people, carry bear spray, be alert for bears, and make noise to help avoid surprise encounters.You can find more information on hiking in bear country by clicking here.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Wildlife biologists set bear traps in the area of the attack on Friday evening. One bear was captured during the overnight hours and biologists confirmed later that it was an adult female grizzly. To date, no other bears have been captured and traps remain set in the hopes of catching other bears that are in the area. Biologists have obtained scat samples, paw measurements, and DNA evidence from the bear and this information will be used to determine if the captured bear was the one that attacked Crosby and partially consumed his body. If the bear is determined as having been involved, it will be removed from the population through euthanasia.
“The decision to euthanize a bear is one that we do not take lightly. As park managers, we are constantly working to strike a balance between the preservation of park resources and the safety of our park visitors and employees,” said Dan Wenk, superintendent of Yellowstone National Park. “Our decision is based on the totality of the circumstances in this unfortunate event. Yellowstone has had a grizzly bear management program since 1983. The primary goals of this program are to minimize bear-human interactions, prevent human-caused displacement of bears from prime food sources, and to decrease the risk of bear-caused human injuries.”
The Elephant Back Loop Trail, Natural Bridge Trail, and the immediate area is closed until further notice. All of Yellowstone National Park is considered bear country. Hikers are advised to stay on designated trails, travel in groups of three or more people, carry bear spray, be alert for bears, and make noise to help avoid surprise encounters.You can find more information on hiking in bear country by clicking here.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Two New Wildfires Burning in Glacier National Park
Aerial resources are being used on the Thompson Fire to attempt to control fire spread. Due to the remote, rugged terrain, ground resources are not being used at this time to support aerial firefighting efforts.
The Thompson Fire has prompted closure of the Nyack and Cole Creek area, including trails and backcountry campsites and the section of trail from Nyack Creek to Cutbank Pass. For updated information on trail status, click here.
A Type III Interagency Incident Command Team is working with Glacier National Park to respond to the fire, with personnel from the Flathead National Forest, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and National Park Service resources.
An additional fire was reported on Monday morning in the North Fork area of the park, near mile marker 11.5 on the North Fork Road. The fire is estimated to be one-quarter acre in size. Ground and aerial resources are responding.
The Reynolds Creek Fire also continues to burn in the St. Mary area. You can find more information on that wildfire here.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Glacier to Replace Tower at Apgar Lookout
The replacement of a National Park Service communications tower and building on Apgar Mountain is taking place through early September. During this time the Apgar Lookout Trail will be open, but there will be limited access to the top of Apgar Mountain and to the Apgar Lookout. Apgar Mountain is located on the west side of Glacier National Park overlooking Lake McDonald.
The current radio communication tower and communications building are in need of replacement in order to better support park radio operations. Park employees and volunteers are demolishing the current radio tower and shelter. They will then work with a contractor to install a new radio tower and shelter. Materials will be packed in and out of the site by park horses and helicopter.
The entire trail and lookout area will be closed during demolition and on days when flights are scheduled. The lookout tower is currently barricaded and is expected to be closed to public access through early September. Please visit the park’s trail status report online for more information.
Visitors should be cautious of any debris or construction materials near the lookout. Climbing on any equipment or materials is dangerous and prohibited.
You can click for more information about horse-back rides with Swan Mountain Outfitters or guided day hikes with Glacier Guides in the area.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
The entire trail and lookout area will be closed during demolition and on days when flights are scheduled. The lookout tower is currently barricaded and is expected to be closed to public access through early September. Please visit the park’s trail status report online for more information.
Visitors should be cautious of any debris or construction materials near the lookout. Climbing on any equipment or materials is dangerous and prohibited.
You can click for more information about horse-back rides with Swan Mountain Outfitters or guided day hikes with Glacier Guides in the area.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
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