[graywolf]

From the Mason County Sheriff's Office Facebook page - link is below. Mason County Sheriff's Office posted a local alert for Mason County. tndSpotnsor3ehd · Attention - Party Rock & Staircase access on Lake Cushman is closed to everyone per State and National Parks As of Saturday Aug. 22nd. Until further notice. There will be absolutely no Outside Public Access to Lake Cushman. Forest Service Road 24 will be closed through Sept. 30th. A gate closure on 119 @ F/S 24 will be closed and manned by Law Enforcement. We ask that you share this information with anyone you know in and outside mason county so they are aware. More information to follow but please plan accordingly. ~ 1V102 https://www.facebook.com/masoncosheriff/ ETA: People are reporting that they are being notified that their backcountry permits for trips starting at Staircase have been cancelled.

[fourteen410]

Why?

[graywolf]

Because of the irresponsible behavior of the crowds on the forest service road that provides access to the upper end of Lake Cushman. So the FS, with the help of the Mason County Sheriff's Office is closing down all access to that area, which includes anyone who is trying to access the Staircase area of ONP. Here's the response someone just received from the WIC (Wilderness Information Center) of ONP: Re: my email to WIC asking about Staircase access ... here is the reply: "Unfortunately, due to many incidents and overwhelming visitation, we are cancelling backpacking trips in Staircase and it is temporarily closed for all access including the National Park. ONP is working with all of the local jurisdictions to figure out long term solutions."

[altasnob]

Attention-Party Rock, Staircase access on Lake Chushman is closed! As of Saturday Aug. 22nd. F/S road 24 will be closed through Sept. 30th. https://twitter.com/MasonCoSheriff/status/1296509115582341121/photo/1

[altasnob]

What a weird press release. I don't see anything about this on Olympic National Park or Olympic National Forest websites, nor their twitter. The notices don't seem to specifically state the reason for the closure. I assume pandemic related, but I thought it was the job of the governor or health department to make the decision to close for public health reasons? The better solution to debauchery overload at Cushman is to have law enforcement patrol the area. Hell, the State Patrol academy is just minutes away. Turn some cadets loose to regulate.

[coldrain108]

Coincidence...I had permits for Home Sweet Home and beyond for this weekend. I cancelled them a couple of weeks ago and took my 85 year old Mom to the Oregon coast this week for a few nights instead. Might be the last time I can do something like that with her and have her still know what is happening - it was touch and go this time. I've still got some vacation time, hoping to use it in September - when it will hopefully rain rain rain. I didn't invest in all that fancy rain gear for nothing - bring it on!

[Slugman]

So, Altasnob knows better than the authorities what to do, while at the same time admitting he/ she doesn’t know the reason for the closure. Maybe law enforcement doesn’t want to bust drunken, violent teenagers every day, deal with the road being blocked and people using the whole area as a toilet? Maybe they had to close the road on an emergency basis? In any case I figure people who have been there know more than internet speculators.

[awilsondc]

That's crazy! I wonder what they're going to do... Blast "party rock", or what? Install facilities there? Never seen anything like this before...

[fourteen410]

[thuja]

Could be road work, although it's an odd way to announce it: https://www.mytpu.org/wp-content/uploads/Factsheet-CushmanRdReconstruction-20190916.pdf

[ranger rock]

Maybe they should just do their damn jobs and patrol the area instead of shutting it down to everyone. Imagine the mobs that will be at Mount Ellinor, Brown's Creek and Lena Lake now. SMH... The keep closing stuff and driving the crowds into smaller and smaller spaces. The resort on Lake Cushman was closed and the State Park was converted to a private park for a few years and now it is owned by the tribe. Called Skokomish Park now, it was shut down due to covid. People used to launch their boats and access the lake at both places. With no public boat launch left at Cushman people drove up there with boats and trailers and found no place to launch and people parking in the turn around spots. There was total gridlock on 119 from Hoodsport to Staircase last weekend. The state patrol had to go clear the traffic out. I'm seeing more people in my off the beaten path spots all the time and this closure will add to it. State parks close, (Lake Cushman State Park) DNR campgrounds are permanently closed, (Lilliwuap Creek and Lake Melboarne) roads are decommissioned or washed out cutting off access to trails and the park (Dosewallips, Elwha) Forest service campgrounds are closed (Rainbow Falls) and we are forced into fewer spaces. This against a background of 300 people a week moving to Seattle before covid struck. It has been getting more and more crowded for the last five years. I used to have Mount Rose all to myself if I started at 9 or 10 am. I'd have it to myself until I was heading back down and almost to the car. Now the parking lot for Mount Rose is full by 9am. As a result I've not been up Mount Rose in about 5 years. I'm all about logging roads and brush crashing these days. I have a backpacking trip planned for this week, one off the beaten path but in the same general area. I expect I will now have a lot of company there too.

[altasnob]

[ranger rock]

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/40678?no_cache=1&fbclid=IwAR0ahPt6uoXuuz4Vq_GQIQjn2lQZUqWwsY-p5YWQ-afRWpRIkRfBCto1240 Forest Service Closing Public Access to Lake Cushman For the safety and health of the public, employees, and volunteers, the section Forest Roads 24 and 2451 that provide public access to Lake Cushman, several trails, day-use sites, and the Staircase entrance of the Olympic National Park (Park) will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians starting August 22, 2020. Recent increased visitation along the narrow road corridor has far exceeded capacity and led to gridlock, resulting in hazardous conditions for the public, the Park and Forest Service staff. Overflow of vehicles prevented emergency response vehicles and personnel from responding to recent requests for help. Overuse of the area has also led to resource damage along the corridor. “The extreme numbers of people recreating at Lake Cushman are creating unsafe conditions and degrading the experience for everyone. No one wants to be stuck in a 6-mile long traffic jam on a narrow, gravel road with no way to turn around,” said District Ranger, Yewah Lau. According to Lau, the area will be closed and there will be no public access to Lake Cushman. Access to that area, however, will be allowed for residents who live beyond the road closure, emergency response personnel and administrative staff. The closure of the road, associated day-use sites and trailheads will continue until the weather cools and visitation returns to a manageable level. Throughout the country, outdoor recreation sites on public lands have experienced highly increased visitation leading to overcrowding, overparking, excessive trash and scattered human waste this summer. This comes during a time of limited Forest Service staffing to keep up with cleaning and trash pick-up. “This was a hard decision to make, but necessary for the health and safety of visitors and staff. I hope people can discover other less crowded areas to enjoy,” said Lau. This decision was made in cooperation with the National Park Service, Mason County, Tacoma Power, Washington State Patrol, the Skokomish Tribe, and other local partners. During the increased visitation on public lands, the Forest Service recommends people be prepared for overcrowding and prepare a Plan B. To find out about local conditions, please visit websites and social media of those recreation areas.

[Kim Brown]

Closed forever, or temporary? The article doesn't say. i think I read some other USFS areas closing due to trash and human pollution; they are temp closures.

[Randito]