Northern Tier Section 1 #11- SR 20 closure due to fire- 8/13/18

[ntaylor]

From WSDOT: Closure due to Boyds Fire on SR 20 from milepost 337 to milepost 342, Inchelium Rd to SR 395 - Barneys Jct. (intersection of US 395 & SR 20), beginning at 5:22 pm on August 11, 2018 until further notice. This location is west of Kettle Falls, on the west side of the Columbia River. No detour has been posted, and cyclists looking to cross the river must travel off route far to the north or south for any options.

The shortest option (EB) involves heading south on Inchelium Rd. to the ferry crossing between Inchelium and Gifford on the east side of the river, then taking SR 25 back north to Kettle Falls, as seen in this map: https://goo.gl/maps/6MJh5pgwV5C2. This detour is ~53 miles long. Take caution, as traffic may be fast, the roads windy, and limited shoulder space available on these roads that may not see much cyclist travel. Reverse the directions for WB. There are limited services in both Inchelium and Gifford, and an NPS campground in Gifford: https://www.nps.gov/laro/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

Here is the website for the ferry: http://cctanadpropmgt.com/inchelium_gifford_ferry_schedule.php

Barring the ferry, a northern option involves riding US 395 and Northport Flat Creek Rd. to Northport, then returning on SR 25: a detour of over 65 miles.

Here is the Boyds Fire Information Center phone number 509-481-7064. There doesn't seem to be incident website that is being maintained at this time.

If anyone else has info about getting around this closure and across the river, I implore you to share it here. Thanks!


Nathan Taylor
ACA Cartographer

[ntaylor]

Here is the Inciweb post for the Boyds Fire: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6139/

Nathan