[BeyondLost]

Hikers coming off the Monument Creek Trail #484 which runs above the Lost River are reporting that the Eureka Creek bridge is gone. I have not yet gone up to check it so cannot be 100% sure but see no reason they would not be truthful about this. For those of you not familiar with the trail that is about 4 miles up from the trail head and crosses Eureka Creek just before its confluence with the Lost River. Unfortunately, the campsites are on the far side of the bridge and that is the destination point for most. Flow is high yet and that is a tough/.dangerous ford on foot without the bridge. There is no information about this on the Forest Service trail report, in fact, there is no updated info about this trail since 5/15/ when the flooding started. http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/oka/recreation/mvtrailn.shtml It's still a good day hike but makes it difficult to overnight.

[BeyondLost]

Peg and I hiked up to Eureka Cr today and the bridge is totally gone. The rock and concrete footing on the west side is intact but the steel rods that connected to the stringers are twisted like paper clips. It appears that during the high water a tree/log must have wedged against the bridge and the water force took the bridge. This bridge is in the Pasayten Wilderness as the Forest Service in Winthrop reminded us when we reported it. They will pass it on but don't expect this bridge to be replaced soon, if ever. Eureka is a roaring torrent and I doubt anyone will be able to ford there until at least July. maybe August. It was a good hike and the wildflowers are spectacular right now.

[Magellan]

Wow, that is sad to hear about the bridge being missing at such a key spot. The eastside is lucky in the regard that this type of thing is rare over there. Perhaps the FS can stop building $200k restrooms at trailheads that only a dozen people visit all year. That might build a bridge or two.

[Tom_Sjolseth]

Last I heard they weren't maintaining that trail. When I went up there in 2006, the trail was in bad shape (although the bridge was nice - out of place in contrast). A lot of the trails in the Pasayten seem to be disappearing. Too bad, because there's a lot of really nice places that are pretty hard to get to now (Monument, Lake, Lost, Ptarmigan). Thanks for the update.

[AR]

[BeyondLost]

Tom, The last two years Eric Burr and I have taken over maintaining the trail up to the bridge (with the FS blessing) and with the exception of one trail washout the trail is in excellent shape. At that washout one has to scramble up and around maybe 50 feet. Past the bridge there has been no attempt to maintain for years and it is rarely used. I did not plan this to be a TR and did not even bother to take my camera since I have umpteen pics from past years. Here are a few pics of the bridge and bridge area before. I don't have a pic of the footing on the near side which remains. You can see this was a well built bridge including steel stringers. This had to have been one of the best wilderness bridges ever. I do not know when it was built. I love that big boulder with the Ponderosa growing out of the top. Now just imagine no bridge at all there.

Eureka Creek bridge.JPG

Eureka Creek bridge boulder.JPG

Eureka Creek and bridge.JPG

[AR]

Thanks for the shots. I can see from the erosion of past floods the bridge didn't stand a chance.

[BeyondLost]

[AR]

[Flora]

[BeyondLost]

Yeah, I've been up that trail to Pistol Pass years ago. It has no redeeming social value.

[Flora]

It was pretty hard on the knees, there was absolutely no water, southern exposure and a terrible wandering tread. Probably hard to keep maintained due to slippage of the loose rocks... Too bad about the bridge though. It was nice and cool to stand there and admire the wild waters of Eureka Creek tumbling through the rocky gap.

[BeyondLost]

I agree it's beautiful. And you can still enjoy it from the boulders or west side bridge support. We sat on those boulders and had lunch yesterday. Awesome! Just hard to get to the campsites on the other side. I'm hoping they will at least drop a log over the old bridge site as that has been a fairly popular weekend overnight hike.

[Tom_Sjolseth]

Thanks for helping maintain that trail, BL. The first part of the trail wasn't bad last time I was up there (two years ago), but after the bridge it was pretty bad all the way to Pistol Pass with blowdowns, erosion, and displaced boulders. Looks like the best way into Monument now is the MF Pasayten.

[sooperfly]

One of my friends is a long time FS employee. I asked him why that trail was in such a state. He told me ( if I remember this correctly ) back when there was more than one FS "district" there, that was one of the districts path into that area. When they all combined, that trail became redundant and has essentially become abandoned. In my opinion that bridge won't be replaced. RIP Eureka Creek Bridge.