This trail is expected to reopen later this month when repairs are complete. All Fossil Creek sites, including Childs Dispersed Camping Area, will reopen November 3 except the Dixon Lewis Trail (formerly known as the Waterfall Trail). read more: įossil Creek to reopen to public November 3 The Fossil Creek recreation area - closed since June 2021 due to impacts from the Backbone Fire - will reopen to the public beginning November 3. "Fossil Creek has remained closed since the Backbone Fire that began June 16, 2021, and will likely remain closed the rest of the year due to post-fire hazards, dead trees, flash floods, debris flows and debris dams," said Brady Smith, Coconino National Forest public affairs officer. The blaze was sparked by lightning and burned nearly 42,000 acres between mid-June and mid-July. The Backbone Fire caused extensive damage to the wilderness area near Strawberry. The Fossil Creek recreation area, which is in Coconino National Forest and stretches across central Arizona between the Mogollon Rim and Camp Verde, is closed and isn't expected to reopen anytime soon. read more: įossil Creek update: What you need to know if you were planning to hike to the falls If swimming at the scenic travertine waterfalls of Fossil Creek is a summer tradition for you - or if you were hoping to make your first visit this year - you'll have to hit pause. Oneill said it will likely take two to five years for flood flows to move the silt filling pools and piled up on stream banks down the creek and into the Verde River. The once crystal-clear water is turbid and muddy, which can kill fish. Coconino National Forest fish biologist Matt Oneill said sediment has nearly filled in major pools and piled up along the banks of the creek. The condition of the roads and trails will likely keep the public out much longer than the damage to the riparian vegetation along the creek. The subsequent monsoon rains did a lot of damage to the trail, which will likely remain closed until the Forest Service finds the money to rebuild sections of the trail. The fire burned over the Bob Bear Trail, which leads from Strawberry down to the spring source at the head of the canyon. However, the fire did burn through the bottom of the canyon near the spring source - exposing the springs which had been buried under berry bushes. The Waterfall Trail and the wildly popular waterfall largely escaped the flames, said Alicia Keller, a photographer with Rim Country Search and Rescue who documented the impact of the fire. However, the trails and roads by which some 90,000 people a year gain access to the creek got hammered, according to an initial assessment of the damage to the Fossil Creek Wilderness Area. It’s unclear whether the flames have destroyed the lush riparian vegetation along the creek, but erosion from the denuded slopes could smother the creek with mud and debris when and if the monsoon arrives.įossil Creek dodged flaming bullet Fossil Creek suffered only moderate damage from the 42,000-acre Backbone Fire, but silt washing into the creek could affect populations of endangered native fish for years to come. The creek draws more than 100,000 visitors annually, but the fire burned up both sides of the canyon. Fire officials have not yet assessed the damage to Fossil Creek Canyon, one of the most popular recreation areas in the state as well as one of the few remaining refuges for native fish. The fire then charged up the steep walls of Fossil Creek Canyon. The fire started in the area around the Child’s Power Plant substation near Fossil Creek, a nationally recognized Wild and Scenic River. But the Backbone Fire as of early June 21 had charred almost the full length of Fossil Creek, consumed 32,752 acres and forced the evacuation of thousands of people from Pine and Strawberry.
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