The Everitt Memorial Highway climbs towards the Old Ski Bowl and stormy weather.
I’ll keep this short, but I just wanted to put out the latest on the road to the Old Ski Bowl. I am sure everyone has been chomping at the bit to get up to the end of the road and the trails beyond. Normally the road to the Old Ski Bowl opens on July 1st, but here it is a week into August and the road is still gated. While snow was the initial impediment to opening the road, more recently it has become a matter of manpower. Siskiyou County is responsible for the road and the chipsealing project that has been ongoing on Old Stage Road has sucked all the available manpower away from Everitt Memorial once the snow actually did melt out. Boulders and trees needed to be removed and the small debris needed to be swept off. As frustrating as it may be, all these ducks needed to get put in a row before cars were allowed up there.
So, what is the latest on the road opening? The word is tomorrow the 8th or possibly on Wednesday. Things will finally be accessible by car. So get ready to head up there and hike some of the excellent trails!
Of course, for motivated hikers, the gate has been no impediment and access by foot has been ongoing. I’ve headed up twice but was skunked by smoke and stormy weather, so I have no good pictures to report conditions. I can say that there is still a lot of water so tread carefully, especially at Lower Panther Meadow. The trail there is slated to be improved in the relatively near future but in the mean time, the meadow suffers so please watch your step. Also, for those heading up there, enjoy the rare spectacle of a little waterfall at the Old Ski Bowl!
Click to enlarge:
