Kilchis Lookout Road - Closure in Effect August 1, 2021 - October 31, 2021

 Kilchis Lookout Road will be blocked at all times (including nights and weekends) from August 1, 2021 through October 31, 2021.  This closure is due to timber sale activity.

The road block is located at the 2 mile marker along Kilchis Forest Road.  This includes closure of the access from the Cedar Butte side and from Sam Downs.

Please use alternate routes as needed.

Jordan Creek Road Opens Wednesday, July 22, 2021

Forest Operations in the Jordan Creek area have been completed allowing the area to re-open to public use at noon on Wednesday, July 22, 2021.

This includes all dispersed campsites and Jordan Creek OHV Campground. However, all OHV trails remain closed due to high fire danger.

Please continue to monitor this site for more information about OHV trail openings and the current Stagecoach Horse Camp closure.

Scooper planes dip into Hagg Lake while battling the Game Hog Creek Fire

Mechanical issues grounded two helicopters before they could assist at the Game Creek Hog Fire. Instead, ODF’s The Dalles Unit loaned two single-engine airtankers to the fire team engaged on the fire. Today, both planes are scooping water up from Hagg Lake and dropping it onto hot spots in the steep terrain of the Elk Creek drainage where the blaze is located.  

Arrival of an additional hand crew has increased personnel engaged on the fire to about 100. The fire has so far been kept to about 135 acres of the 364,000-acre state forest. The Tillamook State Forest remains open but visitors can expect smoke in the area. However, the Drift Creek and Idiot Creek forest roads and the Fear and Loaming mountain bike trail remain closed due to fire activity. Highway 6 and 26 to the coast remain open and unaffected by the fire, which is burning about two miles north of Highway 6. No evacuations are associated with this fire. 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

A Fire Boss Scooper Plane fills its pontoons with water out of Hagg Lake.

The video below shows a Scooper Plane water drop on the Game Hog Fire.

Rogers Camp Trailhead Re-Opens / OHV Trails Remain Closed

 

Effective Saturday, July 17,  2021:

Rogers Camp  Trailhead is re-open to public use.

More helicopters on the way to help with the Game Hog Creek Fire (07.16.2021)

FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Steep terrain where the Game Hog Creek Fire is burning in the Tillamook State Forest has made it difficult for firefighters to deepen their control lines encircling the fire. Yesterday the fire pushed through those lines to burn three more acres.

A helicopter has been helping with air drops of water onto the fire. It will be joined by another helicopter today, with an additional helicopter also expected on Saturday. The water they drop will help cool hot spots so that embers in the interior of the fire have less chance of being blown across control lines.

Helicopter dipping 1300 gallon bucket to deliver water to the Game Hog Creek Fire.

About 80 ground crew remain engaged on the wildfire, which is entirely within the state forest in timber and slash. Their goal today is to extend control lines down to Elk Creek.  Cooler air from the ocean has moved over the fire today, which should aid firefighters.

The Tillamook State Forest remains open to visitors with the exception of Drift Creek and Idiot Creek forest roads and the Fear and Loaming mountain bike trail. These are closed due to fire activity in the area. Rogers Camp trailhead is being used as a staging area for firefighters and is also closed to the public. Highway 6 and 26 to the coast remain open and unaffected by the fire. 

No evacuations are associated with this fire.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Containment lines are holding on wildfire in the Tillamook State Forest (07.15.2021)

Bulldozer from Bighorn Logging works the Game Hog Creek Fire

FOREST GROVE, Oregon (July 15, 2021) – The fire lines dug by firefighters  to control the Game Hog Creek Fire burning in the Tillamook State Forest have held. About 80 ground crew are engaged on the wildfire. They have been aided by helicopters assisting with air drops onto the fire, which is in a steep, inaccessible area of the forest. 

More precise mapping shows the fire, which is about 22 miles northwest of Forest Grove, has burned a little over 130 acres.
 
Temperatures overnight are expected to drop somewhat, which will help retain moisture in the air. Cooler air off the ocean is expected to move inland over the fire on Friday, which should also aid firefighters.

Most of the Tillamook State Forest remains open to visitors with the exception of Drift Creek Road, Idiot Creek Road and the Fear and Loaming mountain bike trail. These are closed due to fire activity in the area. Rogers Camp trailhead is being used as a staging area for firefighters and is also closed to the public. Highway 6 and 26 to the coast remain open and unaffected by the fire, which is entirely within the state forest.

Drift Creek and Idiot Creek Roads, Fear and Loaming Trail Closed Until Further Notice

Effective immediately,

An ODF firefighter sprays water onto the Game Hog Creek Fire.

Drift Creek and Idiot Creek Roads will be closed to public access due to fire fighting activity. Similarly, the nearby Fear and Loaming Trail will be closed as well.

Please continue to check this site for the most up to date information surrounding the closures.

Forest Operations Related Closures: Stagecoach Horse Camp, July 12th, and Jordan Creek Road, July 15th

As the Oregon Department of Forestry moves through the operational summer season, forest management procedures will impact recreation on the Tillamook State Forest beginning next week.

Stagecoach Horse Camp will be closed starting Monday, July 12th. Signs will be posted on the campground entrance boards throughout the closure.

Jordan Creek Road will be closed at the ¼ mile mark starting Thursday, July 15th. The closure includes all dispersed campsites, Jordan Creek OHV Campground, and geographically connected OHV trails. In addition, portions of Archers Road, Portland Mills, and Phipps Creek Roads will be closed at points of access to Jordan Creek Road.

These closures are for forest management operations and are expected to last a few weeks. Information about the closures, and subsequent re-openings, can be found here and on the ODF website. For additional information, contact Joe Offer, Recreation Operations Manager, at (503) 359-7464.

July 3rd Forest Fire in the Tillamook State Forest a Reminder That Even Coastal Forests are Tinder Dry

UPDATE:  July 8, 2021

The Idiot Creek Area off of Highway 6 is re-opened to public access.   Even with the recent cool, damp weather the area remains in High Fire Danger as fuel moistures are still low and the warm weather trend continues.

Thanks to Ryan from the mountain bike community who reported a fire start he observed in the Idiot Creek area off of Highway 6 late Saturday afternoon.  Oregon Department of Forestry fire crews and deputies from the Tillamook County Sheriff's Department responded to the area to find an active fire in the understory of a dense timber stand off of Game Hog Creek Road.

Fire crews worked to stop the fire through the night challenged by dry conditions and tough terrain.  As of 2:45 PM on Sunday, the fire was sitting at about 6 acres in size and fire fighting helicopters had been called in to support fire crews working on the line.  The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

This fire is a reminder that even the coastal forests of Oregon are tinder dry after a prolonged period of high temperatures and no significant rainfall.  While the Tillamook State Forest does see cooler evenings, higher humidities and even morning clouds due to its proximity to the coast, this is not enough to change the high fire danger conditions.

The Oregon Department of Forestry continues to ask folks to leave fireworks at home as they are prohibited on State Forest lands at this time and to obey all fire regulations currently in place.

Thank-you for your help in keeping Oregon's forests green!