adamschneider wrote:The Oregonian wasn't wrong: if the parking lot is open, then Starvation Creek State Park IS open. (Was the picnic area by Starvation Creek Falls accessible?) But, almost as soon as you leave the parking lot headed west, you're back in MHNF.
An interesting point. I was actually headed east. But more importantly, the barricade stated that the state park is closed, and threatened that enforcement is vigorous, and indicated that parked cars will be towed. Curiously, even the short dead-end trail to the falls on the east side of the creek is closed (although I suppose it's possible that's just a social trail, in which case the authorities can't be expected to acknowledge its existence).
Aimless wrote:The Starvation Creek Park is open, but the trails leading away from the park are still closed. Other news articles I've read about the re-opening of various exits off I-84 have been more explicit about making this distinction.
It may not be literally true that the park is open (see above), but your point (similar to that made by Adam above) certainly has some validity. Regardless of the minutia of how we define the closure, what I expected to encounter was closed trails westbound (towards Defiance), but I figured the low-elevation paved trail eastbound would certainly be open. Drat. Which brings us to...
Webfoot wrote:I wonder why Mitchell Point Trail is closed. That's five miles east of the fire boundary.
A cynic might wonder if it has more to do with convenience and authoritarian control, rather than a genuine concern for public safety. Of course, I personally would never make such an inflammatory accusation.