BLM closes spur road and gravel pit at Moose Creek Landing through fall

For the rest of the fall, motor vehicles are barred from a spur road and gravel pit off the main Nome Creek Road at approximately mile 3.5 from the bridge, on the section leading to Ophir Creek Campground, so recently hydroseeded ground can revegetate. The Bureau of Land Management's Eastern Interior Field Office ordered the closure at the Moose Creek Landing recreation site in the White Mountains National Recreation Area.

Summer construction on the western portion of the road is completed, BLM said. Signs are posted near two turnaround locations, and BLM personnel will enforce the restriction.

A broader construction order issued May 13 shuts the western part of Nome Creek Road from 6 a.m. Mondays to 7 p.m. Fridays, June 1 through Sept. 30 or until work is finished, cutting weekday access to several sites including Table Top Mountain Trail and the Beaver Creek Wild and Scenic River put-in. Moose Creek Landing is on that list too. BLM's White Mountains update page, which the agency points the public to for changes, still carried the weekday restriction Thursday night.

"The road will be open on weekends, federal holidays, and for moose hunting September 1-15," BLM said. Travelers should expect delays of up to 20 minutes when the road is open. The eastern section stays open to Quartz Creek Trail, Mount Prindle Campground and upper Nome Creek.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says this is the second year in a row this road section has faced a temporary closure. BLM will re-evaluate the spur road and pit closure in the spring.

The Fairbanks BLM Public Room takes questions at (907) 474-2200.