FR 708 / Fossil Creek Road closed due to rock slide

[chumley]

From Coconino NF:

Fossil Creek Road from Strawberry:

Please be advised that there was a rock slide Oct. 7th on FR 708 above Fossil Creek. The rock slide has completely blocked the road at the last switchback on the Strawberry side. So Fossil Creek is inaccessible from Strawberry but you can still reach the Fossil Springs Trailhead from Strawberry.

Fossil Creek and Childs are accessible from Hwy 260 (General Crook Trail). The road could remain blocked for several weeks.

Might be a nice weekend to car-camp or late-season swim down there as long as you come in from the Camp Verde side.

[chumley]

And other scheduled closure coming up too. Don't know how/if the rockslide will affect this planned maintenance.

Temporary Fossil Creek road closure and construction activity - October 17- 22
Date: October 5, 2011
Contact: Coconino Supervisor's Office - 928-527-3600

Verde Valley, AZ — The Coconino and Tonto National Forests will be conducting area improvements along the Fossil Creek Road (FR708) and the Childs Road (FR 502) from October 17 through 22. A temporary road closure of FR 708 will be in effect Monday October 17, between the Fossil Creek Springs Trailhead and the historic Irving Power Plant location. This section of road will reopen Tuesday, October 18, although individuals can expect periodic traffic delays and heavy equipment construction activity in the area throughout the week.

Forest visitors are also being warned that access to Fossil Creek will be limited and popular campsites may remain unavailable during the construction period.

The purpose of the construction work is to provide barriers to protect natural resources from continual impacts, and to expand available trailhead parking and access to Fossil Creek.

Camping and fire prohibitions remain in effect for the area. For more information, please call the Red Rock Ranger District at 928-203-7500 or go to http://www.redrockcountry.org or http://www.coconinoforest.us

[Dschur]

from Payson roundup

New Fossil Creek closure deals blow to Rim economy
Tourism officials protest abrupt, year-long closure of road access to stream
By Pete Aleshire

February 28, 2012

Delivering a fresh blow to Rim Country’s struggling tourist economy, the U.S. Forest Service this week shut down Fossil Creek Road for at least another year.

The soaring popularity of the pristine, restored travertine-rich stream has drawn a flood of weekend visitors to Payson, but also resulted in piles of litter, illegal campfires and fears of stream pollution.

The Forest Service is working on a plan to control access, perhaps through the use of shuttle buses, but in the meantime a closure order issued last week will shut off access by road from Pine and Strawberry.

The closure picks up from an order in effect all winter and extends it until April of 2013.

http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2012/ ... m-economy/ For the rest of the article