Hyalite Road

Thanks, Joe, for the news. I was planning on going to Palisade Falls for a three family outing on New Year's Day. We had hoped to top rope climb, go sledding (the old school type) and be together. This will change our plans. Please let me know if I can help out. Till then - we should all remember what Grandma taught us - courtesy and good behavior count. I am confident we can find a solution that works for all. Does anyone have a picture they can post?

Rand and I climbed Twin today in good conditions (our early start missed the closure). On the way out we stopped to chat with the FS Enforcement Officer at the Dam expecting they were simply taking a survey. She surprised us with the news and said it had to do with people getting stuck attempting to pass each other due to the narrow road. No editorializing, just their explanation. By the way the road was in perfect condition (Subaru to the Grotto Falls Parking lot). There?s more to the story but grandma wouldn?t want me starting unofficial rumors. Let?s hope/work for a good solution soon.

I spent last night (New Year's Eve) at the Maxey cabin with some friends. As we drove in at around 5PM the ranger was up at the gate. She let us in and told us not to park in the road. The next morning we left the car at the cabin pullout and walked the road to GI. On the way we saw evidence of three (3) ruts off of the road - and very minor ones for that far up the canyon. I can't imagine they were the scene of a motor vehicle epic. Perhaps the USFS has never been up there in the winter? BTW: the gate is not actually locked

Hey guys, My buddy and I drove over from Seattle this past holiday weekend for a little climbing in Hyalite. When we were coming out Sunday at twilight, the ranger (redhead female) was at the Grotto Falls TH telling folks that there were numerous accidents along the road, so there was no rush getting out. We drove out without seeing any accidents. On Monday, we were the next to last car out of Grotto Falls, and met the same ranger at the gate at the end of the dam. She said that there had been a number of accidents/user conflicts that day and were going to close the gate until the road received 6" of snow. We took the opportunity to say that we drove from Seattle just to visit Hyalite and appreciated the access to the TH. Driving was not a problem either day. Tuesday, OTOH, we went to Pine Creek and promptly fell off into the ditch. - Tom And what's the deal with snowmobilers? We hiked out to the Dribbles on Monday (turned around due to gusty winds) and a couple passed us heading out on the trail.