Annual Road Closures in the Bighorn National Forest

Two main routes in the Bighorn National Forest are now closed for the season. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.

Forest officials would like to remind people that Old Highway Road 18 and the Dugway Road 213, are now closed and will re-open in the spring. Both roads close every year in November. Bighorn Forest Supervisor Andrew Johnson said the main reason for the closures is to provide mule deer and elk winter range in an effort to reduce the stress on these animals during the winter.

According to information from the Forest Service, winter ranges typically have more food sources available for wildlife than areas at higher elevations because the snow tends to be deeper.  During the winter, the food wildlife find is often lower in nutritional value and more difficult to digest, resulting in less available calories.  Wildlife primarily live off the fat reserves they accumulated during the summer months making them very susceptible to stress such as running away from people or vehicles in the winter. Wildlife often congregate at many of the lower elevations along the face and edges of the forest throughout the winter and early spring.  Most of these locations have additional restrictions to human use, so be sure to check the Bighorn’s Motor Vehicle Use Map for a list of the restrictions. The map can be accessed here.