[GeoHiker]

I've been itching to get up in the Sultan Basin and haven't seen any updates on the road conditions, so headed on up that way to check it out. The Road Closed sign at mile 10 is gone and you can drive to the registration area at Olney Pass. Road has been recently graded and is in excellent shape.

Registration booth at Olney Pass

Spada Notice

FS could take notice of all the info. that's posted at Olney Pass. Pictures of the road damage and notices of what's going on. If you look at the notice it says late August for repairs to be completed. I spoke with a contractor coming out and he said it wouldn't be open this year. When I said Sno PUD said late August he said, " well maybe, but I doubt it" I walked about 6 miles of road and it could be open right now, but there are some narrow sections where the road fell away, so I'm sure they are worried some moron will fall off the road.

First slide/washout

First washout/slide

Rocky checking out the road damage.

Some logs and rocks would take care of falling off the road. Very lucky we didn't lose the S. Fork Bridge. It's under mined on one side and wouldn't have taken much more to blow the entire bridge out. It's been temp. repaired with rock and thick metal plates.

Temp bridge repair S Fork Sultan River.

P7158317.JPG

I made it to the first boat launch and after you cross the S. Fork bridge there isn't much damage other than one spot that slid. The road is still intact, but it's a nasty cliff right on the edge. Several spots that overflowed the road and have been cleared. When I talked to the contractor, he said there was a bad section washed out near the rock quarry. Does anyone know where the quarry is? I'm thinking the side road close to the Greider TH? They are going to pull rock from there. The boat launch was in good shape and the lake at full capacity. I ran into a climber hiking out that tried to access the Static Pt road. He wasn't real happy about how messed up that road is! He said he went up about a mile and it was a destroyed mess with 30 ft. gullies. I told him that DNR got dig happy in here last Fall, so kiss that road/area goodbye. Was it really necessary to pile up all that brush and crap at the turnoff? DNR you can go straight to *&(*

Static Pt turnoff.

Spada Lake view

Opps, better get out the leash.

Spada Lake view

Nice day for a hike, about 8 miles or so. Zero bugs, nice smooth road. I should have brought my mtn bike. I hope we can get in here by late summer.

[Jimbo]

Most Excellent Geoman. I'll need to see how bad the bridge got creamed heading to the Kromona.

[mossy mom]

They don't call it the Department of Nothing Remaining for nothing..

[GeoHiker]

Jimbo, if you look at the upper left on the registration board there are 2 pics of the bridge. It's gone. I walked up a bit of the road and it's been recently 4x4ed. Do you know how far you can go? I forgot to add in my report. The Olney Creek road was graded for about 200 ft. and I could drive my Honda in about 1/2 mile. I pulled over and walked about 1/2 mile more. Big puddles aren't too bad. I could hear people shooting farther up, so I turned around. Have you been up that road recently and how far can you 4x4?

[Schroder]

Thanks for the recon, GeoH

[GeoHiker]

No problem. I also went up the Shaw Lake road and you can go about 3 miles up to about the 1800 ft. level. I didn't go any farther, but the new road went up above. Looks like they are just getting ready to log. Nice view from up there, so that road would make for a nice snowshoe, early season hike. I wonder if the old road is still passable?

[Hulksmash]

Wow that bridge approach got hammered. The rock quarry is sorta close to Greider lake. It's at the end of a long spurr just past the second rec site. It's the only spurr that does not have the tank traps....it does have some deep water bars dug into it. So it is high clearance only.

[GeoHiker]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. The guy said they've been working all week on getting access in there, so they can pull rock. Road is like 99% fine and could be open now. If they don't open it this summer I'm going to go nuts. I have to wonder if they are going to tear apart the road when they are done and decommission it while they have the heavy equipment in there. I hope not.

[Jimbo]

Well I can't make out a thing in those pictures. That road is 5 miles fun on a little Honda 50. I wish folks would stop shooting were ever they feel like it. It's going to get more shut down. I haven't been there in over a year, to bad that bridge is out, that Kromona mine and area is a very cool place. Can't make it this weekend but maybe a week day after work run is in order.

[Scrooge]

GeoHiker said

[H. Hound]

Fairly sure this bridge is the one they are talking about.

Krom

I talked with somebody that had been there, and they said crossing at the old bridge site will be difficult. I might do a recon this weekend

[Jimbo]

Good Man H.H. Get er done.. I'll be digging a power line ditch by hand this weekend and having a look at the final close of trails and ? In the Reiter Mess.

[Scrooge]

It's been awhile. I don't even remember a bridge back along that stretch, which could explain why the pics didn't ring a bell. ...... Only thing I remember back there is a couple of waterfalls coming off the cliff and disappearing into the talus. No obvious road crossing point at all. There's a bridge over the South Fork of the South Fork that really could be a problem, if it were blown out; and of course the bridge at the end of the road, over the Middle Fork, that's been gone for ages. Have a good recon.

[Jimbo]

Don't feel bad, I've been up and down that road many times and still don't remember a bridge

[GeoHiker]

I haven't been up in that area for about 25 years, so I don't know either. I think HH has it pegged. From the picture it looked to be a decent size gorge. I know from reading TRs that the upper bridge has been gone for years. Maybe that's what they took pics of? I've been wanting to get up that road too, so now that I can get to Olney Pass that's on my short list.