Reporter for The Canyon Weekly
Shellburg Falls, a popular hiking and outdoors spot in the Santiam State Forest, will remain closed until at least next spring, state officials say.
Jason Cox, a public affairs officer with the Oregon Department of Forestry, told The Canyon Weekly the “short answer is re-opening won’t occur until spring 2023 at the earliest.”
Shellburg Falls and other sections of the Santiam State Forest were heavily damaged in the 2020 Labor Day wildfires.
Cox said that hazard tree and limited post-fire harvest away from the falls still is underway, and that there are substantial road issues that still need to be addressed.
Shortly before the fires the ODF closed the trailhead off of Fern Ridge Road that used to provide Santiam State Forest walk-in access via private property.
Instead, ODF is planning to have hikers and campers use a much longer route into the Shellburg area using Wagner Road, which winds its way into the campground and day use area north of the falls.
“The road crosses multiple ownerships and was already a little dicey in some areas, and the fire didn’t help in that regard,“ Cox said.
