If anyone is interested to help create a specific (if not a more user friendly) Web Site for Hyalite Winter Recreational Access please contact Joe. See below.
I don't have time nor Skill to go it alone. Thanks!
Thank you to everyone that contributed valuable time, energy and money to our unprecedented efforts to preserve Hyalite's unique status as one of the regions premier recreational venues.
SEE BELOW FOR ACTION STEPS OR HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Please note that parts of this page is written specifially for ice climbers
but is relevant to any user interested in Hyalite in winter.
THE LATEST NEWS!
January 3, 2008 Press Release ( , 196kB)
THE HYALITE ROAD IS PLOWED
posted January 2, 2008 : CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HYALITE ROAD CONDITIONS.
On December 27th, Gallatin County plowed the Hyalite Road in preparation for the Bridger Ski Foundation-Nordic annual Tour on Saturday the 29th. See Press Release from the USFS. This unprecedented one-time plowing was generously financed by the Southwest Montana Climbers Coalition and the BSF. SMCC board members, Jim Earl and Joe Josephson volunteered their day to work with Nancy Hallstrom from the Gallatin National Forest and the County Crew to patrol the canyon, educate the public and prevent unexpected vehicle encounters. While stationed at Blackmore Jim and Joe also helped dig out an ice fisherman that had been stuck for two days.
Gallatin County plowed the road all the way to Grotto Falls according to their press release as, "an experimental one-time service to garner further information on the cost, time and benefit to all County residents."
In the days since plowing, thousands of residents and visitors have been enjoying the multitude of winter recreational opportunities provided by Hyalite. Many people throughout Southwest Montana look forward to continued community-based partnerships with the USFS in regards to winter recreation in Hyalite and elsewhere.
WHAT PLOWING MEANS NOW & FOR THE FUTURE OF HYALITE
The Forest Service views the current situation as a test-run for future management of Hyalite in winter. Indeed, having the road plowed to Grotto Falls is a true gift that many people have looked forward to for years.
For plowing to continue in the future, the responsibility is squarely on the shoulders of all Hyalite recreationists. So what can we do to help keep the Hyalite road open?
Write an Email to the Gallatin National Forest applauding them for allowing the road to be plowed and that you support their efforts as they work through the many challenges of implementing the recently adopted Travel Management Plan.
Furthermore, express your interest in continuing to seek solutions toward consistent and long term plowing of the Hyalite Road as a benefit to the citizens and visitors of Bozeman and Gallatin County. Read More.
CRITICAL GUIDELINES WHEN TRAVELING THE HYALITE ROAD:
* If someone else is stuck or otherwise in trouble, help your neighbor.
* Always carry a shovel or two in your vehicle when driving the Hyalite Road. It is not uncommon to get one or two tires stuck. A shovel solves this quickly and turns an all day epic into a few minutes of digging.
* AWD/4WD and or snow tires are recommended. Difficult winter driving conditions exist beyond the Reservoir so please do not attempt to drive beyond Blackmore without a shovel, the proper vehicle and driving skills.
* Below the Reservoir please drive slow (25 mph max) and be super careful going around the many blind corners. Some are solid ice.
* Stay on your side of the road.
* Above the Reservoir please drive even slower (20 mph max) and watch closely for oncoming traffic. Slow down, if not stop, to allow cars passing opposite directions.
* Beyond Blackmore, no parking is allowed on the main road except at the Grotto Falls Parking Lot.
* Spread the word and ask, if not demand, your fellow traveler(s) to be responsible.
Thank you all for your continued efforts, love and support of Hyalite winter recreation.
Additional Action Steps updated January 3, 2008
1/ Educate yourself about Hyalite!
Many people are still a bit confused about what is happening in Hyalite.
PLEASE take some time to read through this page. Email me with any questions (joe at firstascentpress.com) or post them on www.montanaice.com/forums/.
Go to the Bozeman Ranger District Office and get a free map and talk to the staff there about any questions you might have. Identify yourself as an Hyalite winter user and politely let them know how important Hyalite road access is to you and what the new Travel Management Plans and USFS goals for Hyalite mean to you.
2/ Go ice climbing, skiing, hiking and sledding in Hyalite Canyon!
For once in our political life we are asked to do something we want to and is fun!
The more recreational users that go up Hyalite and keep the road passable, the longer we'll maintain vehicle access.
Remember, as soon as it gets too squirrly or tricky or there is a rash of accidents and bad behaviour, the Forest Service will close the road. Help others if they are stuck, drive safe and be smart!
3/ While in Hyalite, do the right thing.
We are working closely with the Forest Service to develop signs and educational programs about how we can all get along and make Hyalite a better place for everyone.
In otherwords, do everything you can to AVOID conflict and accidents with other users as this will be the quickest way possible to get the entire canyon closed to vehicles.
Make no mistake, road safety is THE number one priority for the Forest Supervisor and the District Managers. It is up to climbers to help keep them from loosing sleep.
If you are interested in getting involved in the Hyalite Road issue please contact Joe Josephson at (406) 581-1716 or joe at firstascentpress dot com.
PAST NEWS:
Hyalite Winter Use MAp Published
posted December 1, 2007 : GO GET YOUR MAP TODAY!
The official "Over-Snow Vehicle Use Map for the Gallatin National Forest" is now published. Bottom-line, the Travel Management Plan is now considered enforceable.
( , 88kB)
We strongly recommended everyone take a few moments and go to Bozeman Ranger District Office at 3710 Fallon Street (north off Huffine between Ferguson and Fowler near the Ridge Athletic Club on the west side of town). ( , 121kB)
Pick up a copy of the map (they are free) and ask the counter staff any and all questions you may have about the Travel Plan, Hyalite in particular, and their plans for enforcement of the new regulations. Thank them for allowing this experiment in plowing the Hyalite Road.
NEW SUPERVISOR FOR GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST
posted October 1, 2007 :
Northern Regional Forester Tom Tidwell announced Mary Erickson as the new
forest supervisor on the Gallatin National Forest. ( , 76kB)
Supervisor Erickson comes to Bozeman from the Fishlake National Forest in Utah.
ACTING SUPERVISOR MAKES DECISION ON HYALITE ROAD
posted September 26, 2007 :
The Gallatin National Forest remains committed to the agreement reached with ice climbers on March 15, 2007 (see below for more information). This is a great situation and the Forest Service's continued dedication and efforts to acknowledge and encourage the incredible skiing and climbing assets of Hyalite has been phenomenal.
However, the unfortunate issue of the landslide on the road near Practice Rock has complicated some of the plans we hoped to impliment this season. As many of you know, there was a mudslide across the road in the spring of 2007. Check back to this site soon as I'll be posting images of the mudslide.
There remain additional fractures in the hillside (that could go in the next deep rain) and can not get fixed until next summer (2008). Thus, throughout the winter the road will remain narrowed to a single lane with jersey barriers blocking the debris and hopefully protecting the road from futher damage.
In light of these safety concerns, and compounded with the City's baffling and last minute arguments over road use threatening the watershed and the entire water supply to Bozeman, the acting Forest Supervisor Tom Puchlerz has unilaterally decided to more or less maintain the status quo for the Hyalite Road for the 2007-08 winter season.
This gives the Forest Service, among other things, time to fix the slumping hillside, develop plans for other road improvements (see below for longer term plans), source funds for plowing, and generally buy more time to re-educate the public about the recent changes and future plans for Hyalite.
Please keep in mind, the status quo refers to the road only. All other aspects of the travel plan will be implemented. That is, no snowmobiles off the road, across the reservoir or beyond the Grotto Falls or Emerald Lake Trailheads.
Overview of Past Efforts & 4-part agreement
posted May 1, 2007 :
After more than four months of negotiation, the Gallatin National Forest (GNF) and a coalition of skiers and climbers, spearheaded by the Southwest Montana Climbers Coalition (SMCC), a non-profit climbing advocacy group based in Bozeman, MT, reached an agreement on March 15, 2007 to work together on a four part plan as it pertains to Travel Management of the Hyalite Road #62.
( , 76 Kb) Download a copy of the 4-part Agreement.
The Gallatin National Forest will maintain and active long-term goal of improving winter access along the Hyalite Road, including but not limited to improving the 3.5 miles of road south of the reservoir, plowing to Chisholm or beyond, designating the Hyalite area as a National or Public Recreation Area. Clearly, these robust objectives are dependent largely on government funding. With so much of our federal dollars funding various wars, it is entirely unclear if and when adequate funding will occur.
A small group of interested parties, including ice climbers, nordic skiers, local government and motorized users will collaborate directly with the GNF to establish "standards" to determine when the road should remain open or be closed. This goes beyond simply adjusting the closure date according to seasonal conditions to include a broad range of management alternatives, including unlocked gates, signage and public education.
The GNF will reroute the proposed snowmobile route from Moser Creek to Grotto Falls (along the east side of the valley) to Blackmore Day Use Area to Grotto Falls via the west side of the reservoir. This is a much more logical and feasible route.
The GNF will not implement any closure of the Hyalite Road #62, as dictated by the Travel Management Plan, until the new snowmobile route is established and the parties have had sufficient time to consider and agree upon road closure standards.
Climbers and other users believe this plan shows considerable leadership on the part of the Gallatin National Forest and charts a positive path toward resolving the communities concern with the Travel Management Plan; which proposed to gate the road January 1 each year, effectively disenfranchising 70 to 90 percent of all ice climbing in Montana and potentially a significant number of nordic skiers (if plowing stopped below the Reservoir) and other non-motorized user groups around Bozeman.
Climbers and skiers had several productive meetings with the Forest Service in August 2007 to hammer out more details on how to co-exist in Hyalite above the Reservoir so that everyone maintains reasonable access to their chosen venues but also remain within the newly adopted Travel Plan and agreements made with ice climbers last spring.
In a nutshell, we've all agreed that it's going to take a few seasons of effort, and some degree of trial and error, to sort through the various issues and strategies of implementation. Furthermore, it is agreed that it is easier to start with broad, gradual ideas, see what works, see what doesn't and then whittle it down; rather than major restrictive changes put in place right away (it's always easier to take things away than it is to add them later).
If you have any further questions or want to become involved in the future of Hyalite Canyon in winter, please contact First Ascent Press Publisher Joe Josephson at joe@firstascentpress.com.
THE FUTURE OF HYALITE WINTER ACCESS
The Medium term plan (1 to 3 years) includes:
1/ The Forest Service is currently putting together a plan to install guard rails at various points along the Hyalite Road. This is the first step to bring it up to "Winter Use Standards" to ease City watershed concerns.
2/ Create a separate XC ski trail that is preferably away from the road on the east side of the Reservoir. This is a key element to link up many of the desired trails farther up the valley and for loops around the Reservoir, etc. It also leaves the road free for vehicle access for hikers and climbers.
3/ Create an independent snowmobile route on the west side of the Reservoir that allows access to the Window Rock Cabin and to the Grotto Falls trailhead. Of course, once the road to Grotto Falls is improved and plowed regularly, the need for this alternate access is eliminated.
4/ Form a non-profit organization to run point on the education aspects of getting the word out about Hyalite and possibly help manage the plowing funds (since they will be coming from several sources) and perhaps some day even a permit system, if it gets to that.
5/ Start lobbying (see long term plan below) for Highway Trust Fund money to improve and pave the road at least to Chisolm Campground if not all the way to Grotto Falls Trailhead. This has been a long term goal of the Gallatin National Forest and they remain committed to it. It is up to local community-based partnerships to help make it happen.
Long Term Plan
Between the next election cycle and several ongoing Wars, it is going to be a challenge to find any federal money to plow the road up Hyalite. There is light at the end of the tunnel, however.
Provided he gets reelected in 2008, Montana's senior Senator, Max Baucus (D), will be the lead writer of the next Highway Trust Fund Bill (2009). This is the mulit-billion dollar appropriation to fund America's highways, roads and other infrastructure. The SMCC and the Access Fund will be lobbying Max and the rest of the MT delegation to appropriate funds to not only improve the Hyalite road from the Reservoir to the parking lot (one of the Forest Service's stated goals as well), but also to secure long term funds for plowing for the entire season (until April 1).
This will benefit not only ice climbers and xc skiers, but the entire outdoor community (both the extreme and the casual) of Bozeman. However, it is a bit too early in the process to start our Congressional letter writing campaign. But rest assured we will need your help. So please, join the SMCC or the Access Fund so you'll get the email alerts. Otherwise bookmark this page and stay posted for future action steps (encouraging your state delegation to support the MT efforts at appropriations) that will be critical in securing season long access to the world-class ice of Hyalite.
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