If you visit the South Hills during the late fall and winter months you need to hear about the proposed road and trail closures for October of 2020. There is a bit of mixed information floating around social media pages in regards to what areas are proposed to be closed for the entire month. According to one post, the closures would prohibit use by any motorized vehicles to hunt, cut and gather firewood, camp, or sight seeing. Areas said to be affected can be seen in the Facebook post from the Magic Valley ATV Riders below.

That would be a large amount of mountain area closed off to the public. But, according to the U.S. Forest Service - Sawtooth Forest, the information in the above Facebook post isn't entirely correct. The Forest Service says that they are considering some new area closures but they plan to open other previously off limits areas in exchange. They specifically mention certain roads in the Winecup area that have previously been closed for portions of the year.

So, while the Magic Valley ATV Riders flyer states specific already chosen roads to be closed, the Forest Service website has different information concerning the closures. They state that after input from the public, the replacement road closures will be chosen. Public outreach was originally planned through October 21, 2019 but due to confusion they have extended the date through November 11, 2019.

The Forest Service has posted a helpful frequently asked questions list for those who wish to know more or submit their opinion. These can be seen on their Facebook page.

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