Bend water project shuts road to Tumalo Falls

Starting Wednesday, the Deschutes National Forest will close the Forest Service road accessing the Tumalo Falls area until May for the city of Bend to stage equipment and materials for its water pipeline replacement project.

The Bend-Ft. Rock Ranger District will close Forest Service Road 4603 (Tumalo Falls Road) on Wednesday, in coordination with the city, to allow construction equipment and personnel into the area in preparation for construction scheduled to begin on Oct. 10, 2012.

The closure of Forest Service Road 4603 will be from the intersection of Forest Service Road 4601 (Skyliners Road) to the Tumalo Falls Trailhead.

Forest Service sites included in this closure are:

Skyliners Trailhead (intermittent closures)
Tumalo Falls Day Use Area.

Forest Service trails included in the closure are:

Farewell Trail (#26)
South Fork Trail (#25) from the intersection with the Tumalo Creek Trail ( #25.1) to Tumalo Falls Rd (FS RD 4603)
Bridge Creek Trail (#24) from the intersection with Swampy Lakes Trail( #23) to the North Fork Trail (#24.2)
North Fork Trail (#24.2) from Tumalo Falls Day Use Area to the Upper Falls Overlook.

These closures will remain in place during project construction period, which is anticipated to be from Sept. 26, 2012 to May 24, 2013.

If construction stops due to significant snowfall, the Forest Service may consider opening some trails or areas; however, that action is not anticipated at this time. The public will be notified if trails or sites are reopened.

For more information, please contact Jean Nelson-Dean, Forest Service, 541-383-5561 or Justin Finestone, City of Bend, 541-388-5516.