Forest Service: East Brush Creek Road set to close for culvert repair

The Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service recently issued the following press release on East Brush Creek Road closing next week for culvert repair:

Hunters, autumn leaf viewers, and others planning fall recreation in Eagle County should be aware that East Brush Creek Road (NFS Road 415) will be closed beginning next week while the Forest Service replaces a failing culvert.

The closure will begin Sept. 3 and continue through Oct. 19. On the west side, the road will be closed at the Sylvan Lake State Park Aspen Grove parking area, which is about 2.5 miles upstream from the intersection of Brush Creek Road (NFS Road 400). On the east side, the road will be closed at the Sylvan Lake State Park Quarry site, about 1.75 miles downstream of Yeoman Park.

Visitors with high-clearance vehicles and four-wheel drive will be able to access the Yeoman Park and Fulford area by taking NFS Road 400 past Sylvan Lake State Park to Hat Creek (NFS Road 416). Visitors with trailers, campers, or low clearance vehicles are discouraged from using the alternate route as it is steep and narrow in places and includes several tight turns. 

Visitors seeking to access Nolan Lake, New York Mountain, Lake Charles, and Ironedge trails in the Holy Cross Wilderness, the Fulford Cave Trail, or the Peter Estin, Polar Star, and Seipel huts will need to use this alternate route. 

The failing culvert will be replaced with a wider culvert called an aquatic organism passage, which incorporates the natural stream bottom. This allows the stream channel to maintain more of its natural characteristics and aquatic organisms such as cutthroat trout to more freely move up and down the stream channel. This type of culvert is also less likely to catch woody debris that can cause flooding and washouts.

The work is being done in the fall during low water flow and after the cutthroat trout spawning season.

For additional questions, call the Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger District, 970-827-5715.