KALISPELL - The west side road of Hungry Horse Reservoir has been reopened to the public.
People can now travel along the entire west shore to Spotted Bear Ranger Station. The popular recreation road had been closed to the public due to nearby wildfires.
While increased rainfall has helped with containment levels of the fires in the area, there is a danger of falling trees, falling rock and debris in the area. People are advised to while traveling through burned areas. Additionally, firefighting equipment will still be in the area and road graders are operating on the east side road, according to the Flathead National Forest.
Campgrounds will remain open and hosts in place, however water and garbage services will be unavailable, and a reduced fee will be in place.
The following campgrounds along Hungry Horse Reservoir have extended dates of operation this fall:
- Devil Creek – September 15, 2023
- Emery Bay – September 26, 2023
- Doris Creek – September 27, 2023
- Lid Creek – September 27, 2023
- Lost Johnny Camp – September 27, 2023
- Lost Johnny Point – September 27, 2023
“I am pleased to allow public access back into the Hungry Horse Reservoir both on the east and west side roads. We appreciate the patience our public demonstrated as we forfeited some of our favorite recreation opportunities over the last four to five weeks. It was important that we keep the public safe and allow fire personnel to finish up with suppression activities and continue with clean-up operations. Our fire crews have worked hard to make our public roads and recreation sites safe. The fires around Hungry Horse Reservoir are still not 100% contained and it is critical that the public stays out of the Ridge and Doris Point fire areas as equipment is operating and many hazards still exist," Hungry Horse District Ranger Rob Davies noted.
