FR 487

[joebartels]

Good news!

Young, AZ (May13, 2008) -- Workman Creek (Forest Road 487) which had been closed for repairs, is now open to the public.

[FOTG]

@ShatteredArm My general wilderness principles actually makes me ok with the closure as well, that area was starting to see a lot of traffic and the forest in general along with some pretty nice ruins will be better off for the closure.

However, I think anytime public access to an area is limited/closed and seemingly for arbitrary reasons it’s worth asking why. Especially, in this age of declining access, more restrictions and already over crowded national forest.

[mudlugs]

when they close a road like that can you still mountain bike on it or is it closed to all but pedestrian traffic. Thanks.

[ShatteredArm]

@mudlugs
Depends on the situation, but in this case, mountain bikes, pedestrians, and equestrians are explicitly still allowed. Just no motor vehicles.

[Grasshopper]

@friendofThundergod They posted the following publicly on their facebooks.

The wash out on Road 487, below Workman Creek Falls, has caused erosion around the bridge area. The erosion has passed some of the road barriers, causing a safety concern, the engineering staff have tried several fixes to the road but none of the fixes have held. Based on feedback from our engineers, minimizing traffic on the road will extend the life of the bridge until a permanent solution can be made. Because it is the only road to access the Aztec Peak Lookout, private property continued access is imperative. Motorized access is only allowed for Forest Service emergency and administrative use and to private landowners. Motorized use on the road is the only thing prohibited, members of the public are still allowed to hike, mountain bike, horseback, or use other non-motorized means to access the area.

For this FR 487 (Workman Creek Road) Forum Topic, this is just to again restate the perceived, current August-2022 "Motor Vehicle" drive access status for this popular Forest Road which accesses a number of hiking Trailheads into the Tonto National Forest's - Sierra Ancha Wilderness.

[Heliops]

Forest Road 487 to the top of Aztec peak is open, but use caution. Half way up you'll need high clearance due to rockfall and several unavoidable deep pot holes.

[Heliops]

@chumley
It's still sketchy, had to hug the cliff to scoot by in our WK2