IHSMBR - LANDSLIDES - Main Route: Featherville - Ketchum

[cgreene]

An unusual amount of precipitation in the past 48 hours have cause a number of landslides on FR 227 between Featherville and Ketchum.

- There is one slide on the Featherville side (Fairfield Ranger District) between Skeleton Creek and Big Smoky Creek. If you are coming out of Featherville, the road is closed at at Skeleton Creek. Baumgartner Campground and it's hot spring pool are Open.
- There area at least 2 slides on the Ketchum side (Ketchum Ranger District). The road is closed between Dollarhide Summit and Rooks Creek. The road is closed at Rooks Creek if you are coming out of Ketchum. Access to Frenchmans Bend and Wairfield is still available.

There is no timeline to clear the slides. Depending on the severity, it could super fast, or it could take months. 2 examples in the region to illustrate this: 1) Last year there were numerous slides on the Salmon River Road between North Fork, ID and the put-in at Corn Creek. The road was cleared the following day. 2) The was a slide in May 2014 on the Skalkaho Hwy SR 37 between Hamilton, MT and Philipsburg, MT. The road is finally open, over two months later, as of today Aug 1st.

We will have to wait and see the severity these slides caused.

This is the current suggested reroute: http://goo.gl/maps/py3Z7. There is a bike path that runs between Hailey and Ketchum: http://summertrailink.bcrd.org/woodrivertrail.php. If you do take this reroute I suggest stopping in at Powerhouse in Hailey: http://powerhouseidaho.com/. Motels are also cheeper in Hailey then Ketchum, and there is a full grocery and numerous restaurants. There is a convenience store, motel and restaurant on US 20 in Fairfield.

More info will be posted as we receive it.

[cgreene]

I do not have anymore specific info to report on the Ketchum side, but on the Featherville side things are really bad. Apparently, the road slipped into the river and the river responded by re-routing onto the former road. It is about a 100 yd stretch. There is a local meeting tonight and more info should be available tomorrow.

[cgreene]

For folks riding the Willow Creek Singletrack Option, consider using this routing to get to the Smiley Creek Lodge: http://2wheeltrails.wordpress.com/2014/07/09/bikepacking-idahos-hot-spring-and-cold-creeks/

[kcarlosgutierrez]

Just rode from Featherville to Ketchum, arrived in Ketchum yesterday, some updated info:

1/ Road 227 is flooded near Skelton Creek - but there's a trail you can use to portage around, only about 300 yards. However, I think there has been additional road flooding on the day after I rode...

2/ Road up to Dollarhide Summit is passable - albeit a little wet/soft on the descent side due to recent rains.

Carlos

[cgreene]

Just talked to the folks at the Fairfield Ranger Station and FR 227 is still impassible near Skeleton Creek to motor vehicles, but - as Carlos mentioned above - they have built a trail around the washout for hikers and mountain bikers.

They do not know when it will be completely opened, and it is unknown if the road will be closed to riders when they start construction on it.

The slides have been cleared on the Ketchum side.

The weather has continued to be unusually rainy and new landslides and washouts are possible in both the South Fork Boise drainage and the Middle Fork Boise drainage.