Wallowa Lake Lodge

Ask Zimo: Check different sources for high-country road conditions

I told the lady who answered the phone that I had read in the paper on May 26 that all campgrounds at Sagehen Reservoir were closed because of snow on the roads.

She told me it was fine, and everything would be open. Friday, we headed out. We took Highway 55 to the turnoff at Cougar Mountain Lodge and out Road 626. We passed the sign that said “9 miles to Sagehen Reservoir.”

About a mile later, we rounded a corner right into a patch of snow about a foot deep and were stuck. Luckily, shortly after getting stuck, another family rounded the bend and helped us. They had been given the same information we had by the ranger district.

We then spent four hours and a small fortune for two tow trucks to pull us out.

My question is, if you can’t trust the ranger district to give you the correct information, where do you find out if it’s safe to go?

One hundred yards up the road from where we were stuck, there was another patch of snow 4 feet deep, so no one could have made it through.

Luckily, we were all safe, and our truck and trailer made it out, but if could have been a pretty bad outcome.

K.C., email

A: Your experience is a testament to the snow year we have had and the possibility of getting stuck in places where we normally think we can go this time of the year.

Places like Bear Valley and Bull Trout Lake near Lowman and Stanley, and Upper Payette Lake near McCall are still inaccessible.

Deadwood Summit, north of Lowman, and the Trinities, north of Mountain Home, are still snowed in.

We can debate what’s a normal year when it comes to getting into the high country, but many places in Idaho’s mountains aren’t normally accessible until late June or early July.

We’ve had a lot of drought years when we could get to high elevation places earlier, and we’ve gotten used to it.

Anyway, it’s always best to research road conditions. And besides checking with the U.S. Forest Service for information on back roads and accessibility, I like to call or stop in at local businesses, such as service stations, cafes and lodges, for information before heading into backcountry spots.

Be specific when talking about routes to camping areas, whether you’re talking to the Forest Service or others. There can be several routes to recreation areas, and some open sooner than others.

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Wallowa Lake Lodge, "the Switzerland of America" : Joseph, Oregon

Great Lodges of the National Parks, Volume Two

Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest

Complete Angler's Guide to Oregon, A Wilderness Adventures Press Angler's Guidebook

Pacific Northwest