Plan for fast rivers, snow, ticks if you’re going camping

It’s shaping up as a typical Memorial Day weekend
in terms of weather, snowpack, trail, campground and road
access in the Wenatchee-Okanagon National Forest. But
there are concerns out there.

Campers and hiking parties should be careful in
certain areas. There is still strong snow melt and with
rains in the last week and streams and rivers are running
fast.

“I would advise caution if they’re out hiking or
in an area where they’re camping near a creek,
particularly if you’re with small children. You should
keep a close eye on them and hold their hand,” said Debbie
Kelly, with the U.S. Forest Service in Wenatchee, Wash.

Most low elevation campgrounds are open this
weekend. You can check the Forest Service recreation
report for more details.

“It’s looking more like a normal year,” said
Kelly. “We’re getting a lot of our lower elevations
melting out and many of our campgrounds are open,” she
added. It’s a good idea to check with local ranger
districts on availability of campsites. Kelly said camping
is first-come, first-served. There are fees, as always.

The potential for damaging roads and trails and
even getting stuck is high if you try to travel forest
roads that are marked ‘closed’ or still have significant
snow berms.

“It’s best to avoid those because the road
condition is still very moist and have not had a chance to
dry out and firm up. There’s a good risk they could get
stuck,” said Kelly.

Fire danger is low right now, but there’s another
threat in the forests.

“What we’ve been hearing is that it has been a bad
year for ticks, so it’s definitely something where you
might want to brush up on the process for removing a
tick,” said Kelly. “Check both your animals and the kids
if you’ve been out in grasses or brush,” she advised.

Forest rangers remind people to carry the proper
clothing and equipment for changing weather and tell
somebody where you’re going. Mobile phones often don’t
work in the forests.