Route 66 is really slick

Ice is present along Route 66

Ice is present along Route 66

PARKS — If you are planning to travel Route 66 after a snow, please take care. While traveling the Mother Road is always slick, ice patches make it extremely slick.
Portion of Route 66 a mile east of Parks General Store.

Portion of Route 66 a mile east of Parks General Store.

The snow cover makes Route 66 very photogenic. A mile east of Parks you can stop and see the old portions of the road that were bypassed when Route 66 was realigned. There are several places to stop along the way, but one is missing.

The historic rest stop on the south side (left if you are traveling from Flagstaff) has been closed. You can still get in there, but the toilet facilities are gone. So are the tables, in fact.

You do not have to hold it until Williams, though. The Parks General Store is open daily in Parks along with the gas station.

Oak Hill Snow Play area is open and snowy. Restroom facilities available.

Oak Hill Snow Play area is open and snowy. Restroom facilities available.

About three miles past Parks on the south side is the Oak Hill Snow Play area. The nice thing about the Oak Hill Snow Play area after a snow is that there is… Well… Snow. Our slope report is that there is still a light covering of snow on the hill. Probably enough to get a few good runs.

Across Route 66 from the snow play area is the trail to Keyhole Sink. It is still open, but the trail, of course, has patches of snow and mud where it has melted. The Keyhole Sink trail is about a mile long to the Keyhole Sink.

Oak Hill and Keyhole Sink parking area to temporarily close

640-keyhole-sink-038WILLIAMS — The parking area that provides access to the Oak Hill Snow Play Area and Keyhole Sink Trail on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest will be temporarily closed beginning Sept. 8 due to the presence of heavy equipment and construction materials.

Old toilet facilities are scheduled to be removed in the area and replaced with new ones. Forest managers expect the construction work and disturbance of the parking area, which is located off of old Route 66 just west of Parks, to last from Sept. 8 through Sept. 16. It is anticipated that the parking area and the new facilities will reopen to public use on Sept. 17.

Due to no other available parking nearby, there will be no motorized access to the Oak Hill and Keyhole Sink areas while the construction work is taking place. The Keyhole Sink Trail will remain open, but the trailhead will only be accessible via nonmotorized means.

“This construction work will result in an improved recreation experience for our visitors once it is complete,” said Lisa Jones, recreation staff officer for the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts. “We hope to have the parking area cleaned up and reopened for public use by Sept. 17. Until then, we ask our visitors to understand that the temporary inconvenience will result in better facilities in the long term.”

Williams and Tusayan Ranger District fire reports.

WILLIAMS — Managers of the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest have decided to manage the 98-acre Springs Fire to meet resource objectives but suppress the 17-acre Key Hole Fire.

The Springs Fire is located about 9 miles south of the City of Williams east of Davenport Knoll and 2 miles south of Summit Mountain on the east side of County Road 73. The lightning-caused wildfire has been growing over the last few days due to drier weather conditions and is burning in an area managers consider to be in need of treatment with fire.

Based on the location of the Springs Fire and its continued growth despite intermittent monsoonal activity, fire managers have decided to manage it over the coming days and possibly weeks in order to improve forest health, allow fire to play its natural role as a disturbance factor in the ecosystem, enhance wildlife habitat, and reduce the potential for future high-intensity fires.

Smoke from the Springs Fire has been visible at various times from County Road 73 and from Interstate 40 in the Parks area west to Williams. This morning, light smoke from the Springs Fire was noticeable in Williams for a brief period before lifting as temperatures increased. Light smoke may also be present from as far east as Garland Prairie west to Williams. There are no closures in effect related to the Springs Fire.

Fire crews are conducting work in preparation for the Springs Fire’s likely growth. Prep work includes lining range fences, aspen enclosures, and other potentially fire-sensitive resources in the area. This important work ensures that as the fire spreads naturally, fire managers will be able to allow it to grow without the risk of negatively impacting these other values in the area.

While the Springs Fire has proven to be a good candidate for management to achieve resource objectives, the Key Hole Fire, which is located just north of Key Hole Sink near Duck Lake north of Interstate 40, has not. Fire crews are suppressing the Key Hole Fire because it has remained relatively inactive due to receiving significant precipitation over the last week or more. When deciding whether to manage or suppress a wildfire, forest managers not only consider the location of the fire but also its current and anticipated level of activity and growth, as well as the effects it is having on forest resources.

Mason Fire

On the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest, the Mason Fire grew to 3,056 acres yesterday as it backed out of an area dominated by ponderosa pine into pinyon-juniper woodlands. The fire, which has been managed as part of the Jar Complex to benefit forest resources over the last couple of weeks, is expected to continue slowly backing into these sparser fuels and eventually go out on its own. Fire managers anticipate relatively light smoke production over the coming days and reduced fire activity due to sparser fuels and predicted monsoons in the area later this week.

Springs Fire picks up in activity while Key Hole Fire continues to smolder

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Key Hole Sink east of Williams.

WILLIAMS — The Springs Fire on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest picked up in activity yesterday due to drier conditions and higher winds, growing to about 80 acres in size. Meanwhile, the Key Hole Fire remained at 17 acres in size, smoldering and creeping slowly through pine needles and other forest debris.

Fire managers are considering allowing both lightning-caused wildfires to continue growing in order to meet ecological and other resource and community protection objectives. The Springs Fire is located just east of Davenport Knoll about 2 miles south of Summit Mountain east of County Road 73. The Key Hole Fire is located just north of Key Hole Sink near Duck Lake north of Interstate 40.

Yesterday, the Springs Fire put up smoke visible from County Road 73 and from Interstate 40 in the Parks area west to Williams. Due to its increased growth, fire managers used management ignitions along perimeter roads in order to reinforce boundaries established for the fire. Specifically, fire crews used drip torches to burn fuels along forest roads 57 and 354 in order to help define a northeastern perimeter for the growth of the Springs Fire. Smoke may still be present on the 57 and 354 roads in the area, so motorists are asked to use caution when traveling there over the next couple of days.

Today, firefighters will begin additional work in preparation for the Springs Fire’s likely growth. Prep work will include lining range fences, aspen enclosures, and other potentially fire-sensitive resources in the area. This important work ensures that as the fire spreads naturally, fire managers will be able to allow it to grow and treat acres without the risk of negatively impacting these other values in the area. Fire crews will also be monitoring the Key Hole Fire, but growth is less likely due to its location and level of activity over the last several days.

There are no closures in effect related to the Springs or Key Hole fires. Smoke will likely continue to be visible from the Springs Fire. Kaibab National Forest managers want to assure members of the public who may see this smoke that the fire is being monitored and staffed by firefighting personnel and that it is a good candidate for management to achieve resource objectives such as fuels reduction, wildlife habitat improvement, and community protection because of its location and the fuels in which it is burning.

Archaeology Comes Alive on the Kaibab

WILLIAMS –  Two free Archaeology Month evening lectures will be held at  6:30 PM at the Mills 326 Café, 326 West Route 66, Williams, Arizona. There is limited seating so please call 928-635-5600 for reservations. To order food ahead of time call, 928-635-0777.
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  • March 5: (Williams and Tusayan Ranger District Archaeologist Neil Weintraub) –Williams Youth Conservation Corps: Getting’ Dirty Preserving Kaibab National Forest Historic Sites. This presentation will discuss the history of how the Williams Youth Conservation Corps has helped to protect and enhance dozens of prehistoric and historic archaeological sites on the Williams Ranger District.
  • March 19: (Kaibab National Forest Archaeologist Margaret Hangan and Neil Weintraub) – History of Kaibab National Forest Managed Fires and Cultural Resource Protection Efforts during the Summer 2014 Sitgreaves Fire. For the past decade when conditions are appropriate during monsoon season, the Kaibab National Forest fire staff has managed wild fires across large portions of its fire adapted landscape. Archaeologists will discuss how Kaibab National Forest fire staff managed the summer 2014 Sitgreaves Fire to treat a steep mountain landscape while protecting and reducing fuels on dozens of significant cultural resources.

Kaibab archaeologists will also lead free educational hikes to the Keyhole Sink Petroglyph site at 2 PM on March 14 and March 28. Please call ahead for reservations, 928-635-5600.
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Bring boots and warm clothing as this 3/4-mile hike each way will take place whether there is rain, snow or sun. Be prepared to get wet as a waterfall often cascades off the lava flow requiring crossings in ankle deep water to access the petroglyphs.

To attend, meet at the Oak Hill Snow Play area, 4 miles west of Parks Arizona on the south side of Route 66. From Flagstaff, take I-40 west to exit 178, turn right at top of ramp and then left on to Route 66. Drive about 4 miles west to the Oak Hill Snow Play Area.

From Williams, drive east on I-40 to Exit 171 and at top of off ramp make a right and then another right onto Route 66. Drive east on 66 about 2 miles to the Oak Hill Snow Play Area.

Lectures are Wheelchair Accessible; petroglyphs are not.