[fourteen410]

The South Creek Trail near Twisp/Chelan Sawtooth area has been blocked 2.5 miles up from the trailhead by a private landowner. See this flyer. Apparently the landowner has placed a game camera at the closure site. Voice your displeasure to the USFS: 509-996-4000.

[Randito]

free game camera!

[Brian R]

[Get Out and Go]

Well gee, fourteen410, looks like you're the messenger of bad news again, (referring to your post a couple years ago about the Mountain Home property being shut off). I hope this dispute can reach a peaceful agreement regarding an historical use easement, but one never knows. The aerial imagery shows that it's only a few hundred yards here and there to cross, but some maps show a couple mines upslope FWIW, so that might be the owner's concern. https://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=48.42667,-120.57787&z=17&b=n&a=sma

[jackchinook]

It sounds like the Forest Service should stop maintaining the 2.5 mile access trail to their private involding in Wilderness. Seriously though, I don't want that to happen...and agree with GO&G that hopefully there's a reasonable solution to this. This is a popular trail, leading to Lake Chelan and lots of cool nooks and crannies around South Pass. Surely there's some kind of long-standing existing use of this trail that can help keep it open? It's been a public trail since at least the 1930s.

[fourteen410]

[Slugman]

The first two miles is needed to access Louis lake. Yes, call the FS. With enough advocates, the FS might decide a couple of bridges and a short section of trail is worth it. It doesn’t seem right to just abandon the trail. Or wait ten years to do something about it.

[Randito]

My supposition is that the land owner installing a gate has nothing to do with working their mining claim or protecting any infrastructure on their claim. I think by denying the public from using the established trail, which certainly constitutes an easement, they are just trying to up the price for getting the USFS or the Trust For Public Land, etc to buy them out.

[altasnob]

Another thread with a bit more info on the private in holding on the South Creek Trail: https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8032761 I wonder why the property owner changed their mind on public use? The Forest Service may try to negotiate with the landowner, but is their any precedent for the Forest Service to try to sue the landowner to get a public easement? I can't think of an example of the Forest Service ever spending their money on something like that. Maybe the Nature Conservancy or other private land conservation non-profit would be interested in purchasing an easement through this property. The Methow Valley is filled with very wealthy people. Maybe they can all chip in and pay the property owner to allow access again? It doesn't make sense for the Forest Service to abandon maintenance of the trail to the closure since the same trail leads to trail #428, which is still open.

[jinx'sboy]

[fourteen410]

[jaysway]

Just curious, would this be the Forest Service suing to create an easement, or enforce an existing easement?

[Randito]

[Kim Brown]

If it were a hiker-only trail west of the crest, re-gaining easement probably wouldn’t have a chance. Mt. Higgins is one example. DNR doesn’t have the capacity to patrol the road and trail head, and the creeps going up there target practicing and dumping junk finally wore out the landowner’s patience and they installed a gate across the road, and who can blame them? With South Creek – it’s horse & hunting country, isn't it? That is potentially a saver here. Those folks aren’t going to just let this go – unless enough of them have a side-deal with the landowner for access; which is probably illegal, but who is going to do anything about it. But who knows; the land owner’s issue might be the equestrians. Hard to know, not knowing. There was some other landowner easement issue down around the south side of Mt St Helen’s. I can’t recall what that was all about or how it turned out. I know this isn’t a fantastic contribution of knowledge, but it was a biggish deal at the time and perhaps someone might remember….? It was about 2010 or later….?

[Hutch]

South Pass/Rainbow Ridge/McAlester Lake is all really great public land. This seems untenable.