East Side Reservoir Road to close for fish project

Hungry Horse News

The East Side Hungry Horse Reservoir Road (National Forest System Road 38) will be temporarily closed to public use starting later this month for up to four weeks for a project that will increase the amount of stream habitat accessible to fish migrating from the reservoir.

FS Road 38 will be closed for the duration of work, estimated to start July 15, and ending Aug. 12, impacting public access along the east side of Hungry Horse Reservoir. Alternate access will be available via the West Side Hungry Horse Reservoir Road. Please allow for additional driving time when traveling to Spotted Bear Ranger Station or recreation areas along the east side of the reservoir, south of McInernie Creek. The Murray Bay campground, north of the McInernie project, will remain open and accessible and will not be impacted by the closure.

Road 38 crosses McInernie Creek just past mile marker 22, approximately 1,000 feet upstream of the creek’s confluence with the reservoir. The existing culvert is undersized and perched, meaning the outlet is higher than the stream below, creating a barrier to upstream fish movement. The Hungry Horse Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest is working with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to restore migratory fish access on McInernie Creek for westslope cutthroat trout. The McInernie project will replace the undersized culvert with an open-bottom arch structure designed to provide year-round passage, opening migratory fish access to an additional two miles of high-quality habitat for westslope cutthroat trout.

 This project contributes to mitigation of hydropower impacts to fisheries and is conducted through the Bonneville Power Administration-funded Hungry Horse Mitigation Program.

For more information on the Hungry Horse Reservoir Road status, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/flathead/about-forest/?cid=FSEPRD1168521