Timber harvest prompts temporary road closure near summit of Big Mountain

The Taylor Creek Road and Whitefish Mountain Radio Road near the summit of Big Mountain are temporarily closed to use as part of a timber harvest.

The Flathead National Forest Road #9790 in the Tally Lake Ranger District is closed to motorized and nonmotorized use. The closure began on July 1 and runs through Dec. 1.

The closure is in place for public safety during timber harvesting associated with the Good Neighbor Authority Taylor Hellroaring Project, the Flathead Forest notes.

The Taylor Hellroaring Project includes commercial timber harvest on roughly 1,000 acres and forest fuel reduction work on 1,000 acres. The goal of the project is to reduce the risk of wildfire in the wildland-urban interface and Whitefish Mountain Resort.

The road closure starts at the junction of Road 9790 and Lower Whitefish Road in section 6, T32N, R22W, and extends the entire length of the road. The closure will impact public access to the summit of Big Mountain at Whitefish Mountain Resort from Road #9790.

The forest service asks recreationists to be safe and cautious when traveling near haul routes and obey all signage, speed limits, and construction personnel instructions.