Time to head for the Hills for recreation

Bri Brasher
NLJ Reporter
 
The winter recreation season in the Black Hills National Forest is upon us as of Dec. 15, according to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture news release. Officials opened snowmobile, cross-country ski and snowshoe trails in the Black Hills area. This also means that gates and recreation sites that do not remain open in the winter months are now closed. 
Tracy Anderson, district ranger for the Hell Canyon District, explained that seasonal closures were determined in 2010 when the travel management plan was released for the forest. Anderson said that her district closed roads on Dec. 14 because Dec. 15 was a Saturday this year. She said the Bearlodge district also closed its roads on Dec. 14, while the Mystic and Northern Hills districts closed roads on Dec. 16. 
She said the reasons for winter closure are largely to ensure that wildlife are not disturbed. Winter closures also allow for motorized-use trails and winter recreation. Anderson said the state grooms trails for snowmobile use in the winter. Most of the trails extend well into South Dakota, where permitting is monitored closely, according to Anderson. 
“If you want to go recreate, you can snowmobile on those trails with a permit,” Anderson said. “If people want to get up and get to trailheads and go recreate, they can do so without having to hear or worry about traffic (while cross-country skiing),” Anderson added. 
Officials closed some trails in the Northern Hills on Dec. 15 because they become part of a snowmobile trail. However, Anderson said, east of Newcastle headed toward Custer doesn’t typically get as much snow, so that area does not have as many activities. There, closure is primarily for wildlife purposes. 
Anderson said closures also help protect the roads. She noted that after the recent snow, the roads were starting to freeze over, but with the weather expected to shift to warmer temperatures, closing the roads prevents any damages in wet conditions. 
“Because of the snow we’ve just gotten, it will be really easy to make sure that nobody is on the road before we close it,” said Anderson, adding that the Forest Service wants to be sure that nobody is behind the gates before they close them, so they will still drive in to make sure. 
Anderson also encouraged all recreators to get a motor vehicle use map to see which roads are closed seasonally, and the Forest Service also has a map of cross-country ski trails. 
The agency also has a free app called Avenza Maps that people can download to their mobile devices and use for local information. Anderson said she even uses it for work, and the app will show users whether roads are closed. 
More information can be found on the BHNF website, at fs.usda.gov/alerts/blackhills/alerts-notices, or by calling (605) 673-9200.