Most of the forest above Wamic is under a closure order that runs through Dec. 31, unless the Forest Service updates or lifts it sooner. That includes Badger Lake, Bonney Meadows, the Tygh Creek trail and the roads that lead to them. The places still open this fall are lower and farther east: Rock Creek, Pine Hollow, White River Falls and the Deschutes. Each one closes or changes on its own date between now and New Year's.
So I've laid this fall out as a calendar. Below I explain where the line runs and why the high-country sites are behind it. After that, the dates come in order, so you can plan the weekends you have left.
Where the line actually runs
The Mt. Hood National Forest updated its Grasshopper Fire closure on Oct. 1, 2026 as Forest Order 06-06-01-26-18. It covers parts of the Barlow and Hood River Ranger Districts and stays in effect through Dec. 31, 2026, unless the Forest Service updates or lifts it sooner.
On our side of the mountain, the boundary follows Forest Road 48 to Forest Road 4860. It goes north on the 4860 to the 4814, the 4811 and the 4810, then runs east along the 4810 to the forest boundary. In practice, the line follows roads many of us drive every week.
These roads and sites close to town are on the closed list:
- Roads: FR 3530, which is the Barlow Road; FR 4860; FR 4810 west of the 4811; FR 4811 north of the 4810; plus the 4812, 4813, 4870, 4880, 4890 and 4891
- Trails: Tygh Creek #460, Badger Creek #479, Little Badger #469, Bonney Meadows #471, Fifteenmile #456, Eightmile Loop #496 and School Canyon #468
- Campgrounds and trailheads: Badger Lake, Little Badger, Bonney Meadows, Bonney Crossing, Fifteenmile, Underhill, Knebal Springs, Pebble Ford, Little John, the Badger Creek trailhead and the School Canyon trailhead
FR 48 itself marks the boundary but isn't listed as a closed road. That doesn't mean every spur off it is open. The order doesn't apply to private or state inholdings, and it exempts owners and lessees of land inside the closed area. If you have questions about a specific road, call the Barlow Ranger Station at 541-467-5100.
Why the high sites stay closed even as the fire winds down
The Grasshopper Fire was started by lightning on July 23. The Oct. 5 national situation report lists it at 93,972 acres and 98% contained, with containment estimated for Oct. 31. That date is a forecast, not a promise.
Containment isn't what keeps the campgrounds closed, though. Damage and repair work are. On Sept. 17, Columbia Community Connection reported that Bonney Horse Camp, Bonney Crossing, Little Badger, Fifteenmile and Badger Lake campgrounds all took some damage. That can mean fire-weakened trees as well as burned picnic tables, signs and hitching posts. Flag Point Lookout was destroyed on July 31.
Some places came through untouched. Firefighters protected Pebble Ford, Eightmile, Underhill and Lower Eightmile campgrounds, and Camp Baldwin, the private Scouting America property in the area, wasn't damaged. Underhill and Pebble Ford are still on the Oct. 1 closed list because the roads around them are part of the closure.
Crews have been chipping debris along FR 3540-640, FR 4891 and at Bonney Meadows Campground, and repairs on FR 4420 are finished. I haven't found any published reopening date for Badger Lake or Bonney Meadows, so I'm not counting on getting up there this year.
That leaves the places below the line.
Now through Oct. 13: Rock Creek's last stretch
The Forest Service reopened Rock Creek Campground and Day Use Area on Sept. 4, when it first shrank the closure. The same update reopened the Timberline Trail and Tamanawas Falls Trail. The Rock Creek Reservoir Campground page lists the site as open, with a 2026 season of April 18 to Oct. 13, and reservations go through recreation.gov.
That leaves about a week of campground season. Before you load the truck, check one thing. The Forest Service directions to Rock Creek use FR 48 and then FR 4810, and the Oct. 1 order closes the 4810 west of the 4811. The closure map should show whether your route crosses the closed stretch, or you can call Barlow and ask.
Pine Hollow Reservoir is the other water close to home. Columbia Community Connection reported it had reopened by Aug. 20, after evacuation levels eased. Pine Hollow Lakeside Resort's website lists its season as March 25 through September, so expect the reservoir without the resort for the rest of the fall.
If you're thinking of heading higher, Clear Lake and Frog Lake campgrounds both ended their 2026 camping seasons on Sept. 30.
Oct. 15: the river's fire rules lift
The Lower Deschutes is the other big open area, and it's on a different calendar from the forest. Deschutes River State Recreation Area is open for day use and camping all year. Its fire restrictions, which ban most open flames and ember-producing devices, run through Oct. 15.
Closer to us, Sherars Falls sits at river mile 44. BLM requires a boater pass all year for anyone on the water in a watercraft or other floating device.
Hunting is on its own clock too. ODFW's Oct. 1 Columbia report lists bear, cougar and several other seasons as open, and select controlled deer season opened Oct. 3. The same report says a fire ban is still in effect at the White River Wildlife Area. ODFW's last detailed closure update for the wildlife area, dated Aug. 25, kept all land inside the Level 3 evacuation perimeter closed. The agency still says it's updating closures there, so check before you drive out.
Nov. 1: two things change on the same day
White River Falls State Park is open for day use all year. Through October, the main lot and flush restroom are open. From Nov. 1 to mid-March, the gate closes and visitors walk in. If you want to show the falls to someone who'd rather not walk from the road, plan it before the gate closes.
The same day, the Tygh Valley Bluegrass Jamboree opens online ticket sales for its 2027 festival, which is set for Sept. 17 to 19, 2027. This year's Jamboree ran Sept. 18 to 20 in Tygh Valley.
Nov. 7 to 15: second elk season
ODFW's 2026 schedule lists the Eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain elk second season as Nov. 7 to 15. ODFW's local forecast covers the White River unit. ODFW has said fire doesn't close a hunting season by itself, but land-manager closures can still restrict access. If your tag's hunt area includes ground inside the Grasshopper closure, the Forest Service order controls whether you can get there, and right now it runs past the end of the season.
Dec. 1 and Dec. 31: the year closes out
Starting Dec. 1, the Forest Service restricts motor vehicles wider than 50 inches on Forest Road 4800, the Wamic Road, until April 1. That's a normal seasonal rule, and it was posted before the fire.
Dec. 31 is when the closure order is set to expire. The order says "until updated or rescinded," so the date can move either way. The Mt. Hood alerts page is where any change will appear first.
The community calendar, such as it is
There's one date coming up sooner than all of these. The Wasco County Fair Board meets at 6 p.m. on Oct. 7 at the Dew Drop Inn, 81849 Fairgrounds Road in Tygh Valley. The agenda and packet are posted on the county's Fair Board page. On Aug. 11, with the fairgrounds under a Level 2 notice, the board voted to cancel the rest of the fair as scheduled. Board members discussed late September for the rodeo and demolition derby but didn't pick a date. I haven't seen a confirmed make-up date since.
The youth livestock program did go ahead. Wasco County 4-H and FFA moved their livestock shows to the Hood River County Fairgrounds in Odell, and the Youth Livestock Auction was scheduled there for Aug. 15. A GoFundMe organized by Peter Marks on Aug. 2 is raising money for equipment and volunteer training for the Tygh Valley Rural Fire Protection District.
Here are the dates in order: Rock Creek's season ends Oct. 13, the river's fire restrictions lift Oct. 15, the White River Falls gate closes Nov. 1, second elk season runs Nov. 7 to 15, the Wamic Road wide-vehicle rule starts Dec. 1, and the closure order is set to end Dec. 31.
If you own land near the forest boundary and want to talk through how road access works for your parcel during a closure like this one, I'm always happy to help. That's the kind of question I work through with rural owners every week. Reach out to Tiffany Hillman anytime.
