Status of Road 45 near Highway 224?

[justpeachy]

After the 36 Pit fire, the first few miles of Road 45 (from its intersection with Highway 224) were closed. On the Mt. Hood National Forest site, though, it says:

A four mile section of the road is closed (gated) indefinitely due to hazardous road conditions resulting from the Pit 36 Fire. The closure is from the Memaloose Bridge (jct. of State Highway 224 and 45 roads) to the intersection of the 45 and 4500320.

But paging through my copy of the new edition of Sullivan's Northwest Oregon book that came out this spring and he has this to say about Road 45 to the Memaloose Lake TH:

Access to the trailhead is by a convenient, mostly paved road that reopened in 2019 after being closed for 5 years by a wildfire washout.

Anyone have first-hand intel?

[RobFromRedland]

After the 36 Pit fire, the first few miles of Road 45 (from its intersection with Highway 224) were closed. On the Mt. Hood National Forest site, though, it says:

A four mile section of the road is closed (gated) indefinitely due to hazardous road conditions resulting from the Pit 36 Fire. The closure is from the Memaloose Bridge (jct. of State Highway 224 and 45 roads) to the intersection of the 45 and 4500320.

But paging through my copy of the new edition of Sullivan's Northwest Oregon book that came out this spring and he has this to say about Road 45 to the Memaloose Lake TH:

Access to the trailhead is by a convenient, mostly paved road that reopened in 2019 after being closed for 5 years by a wildfire washout.

Anyone have first-hand intel?

News to me - I was by there last weekend and it was still gated. They are building some kind of radio/cell tower up about 3.5 miles and you can see construction vehicles on the other side of the gate, but it has continued to be closed. Maybe once they complete construction it will open? All I've heard is that that first section is BLM land and BLM has not allowed it to be opened. But who knows what the real reason is....

[greenjello85]

I haven't personally tried but you might be able to get in from the other side using hillockburn rd? 45 is definitely still closed at 224.

[RobFromRedland]

I haven't personally tried but you might be able to get in from the other side using hillockburn rd? 45 is definitely still closed at 224.

You can drive most of the way around from hillockburn, but it has another gate about 3.5 miles up from 224. It is that first 3.5 miles that is closed. That is the only way to get to places like Memaloose lake - but it is kind of a long trip.