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

For anyone heading into the White Mountains National Recreation Area this fall, getting up Nome Creek Road, the main way into the area's trails, campgrounds and river access, will again take some planning. It's the second year in a row this stretch of road has faced closures for construction.

The bigger disruption has run all summer: the western part of the road is closed to weekday traffic, roughly Monday morning through Friday evening, from June through the end of September or whenever the work wraps. That cuts off weekday access to several popular spots, including the Table Top Mountain Trail and the put-in for floating the Beaver Creek Wild and Scenic River. The road opens back up on weekends and federal holidays, and the BLM is keeping it open for moose hunting from Sept. 1 to 15. Even when it's open, drivers should expect delays of up to 20 minutes.

On top of that, the BLM has now closed a spur road and gravel pit off Nome Creek Road for the rest of the fall, on the stretch toward Ophir Creek Campground, so recently reseeded ground can grow back. The agency will take another look at reopening it in the spring.

Not everything is affected. The eastern part of the road stays open, with access to the Quartz Creek Trail, Mount Prindle Campground and upper Nome Creek. The BLM posts current conditions on its White Mountains update page.