Extreme Fire Conditions Close Gilchrist, Sun Pass State Forests
ODF has ordered an immediate and ongoing public closure affecting more than 93,000 acres of state forestland in Klamath County
GILCHRIST, Ore. — Extreme fire conditions have prompted the Oregon Department of Forestry to immediately close the Gilchrist and Sun Pass State Forests to the public, restricting access to more than 93,000 acres of state forestland in Klamath County.
ODF says the closures are necessary to protect forest resources and enhance public safety as fire danger remains extreme across the region.
The agency describes the closures as “immediate and ongoing.” No reopening date has been announced.
Gilchrist State Forest covers more than 72,000 acres in northern Klamath County, approximately 35 miles south of Bend near the communities of Gilchrist and Crescent.
Formally dedicated in 2010, Gilchrist is Oregon’s newest state forest. The property was once part of the extensive timber holdings of the Gilchrist Timber Company and was acquired by the State of Oregon in 2010.
Much of the forest consists of relatively young stands that were replanted following heavy timber harvesting during the 1990s.
Gilchrist State Forest: An entrance sign marks Gilchrist State Forest in northern Klamath County. The Oregon Department of Forestry has closed the forest to the public due to extreme fire conditions. Oregon Department of Forestry.
Sun Pass State Forest covers another 21,300 acres in Klamath County, approximately 90 miles north of Klamath Falls and southeast of Crater Lake National Park.
The forest includes pine and fir forests and mountain meadows and is managed by ODF’s Klamath-Lake District.
Sun Pass was formally dedicated as a state forest in 1979, although Oregon began acquiring property there decades earlier. The state purchased the original 14,450 acres in 1943, with additional acquisitions and land exchanges eventually expanding and consolidating the forest into its current footprint.
Together, Gilchrist and Sun Pass represent more than 93,000 acres now closed to public access because of the extreme fire conditions.
ODF has not announced how long the closures will remain in place.
People with questions about the closures can contact the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Klamath-Lake District office at 541-883-5681.
Visitors planning recreation or travel on state forestlands should check current ODF restrictions before heading out, as fire danger and access restrictions can change quickly.
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