Jackson Hole Daily, Mike Koshmrl- After being pushed out of business for more than three weeks by a threatening wildfire, Granite Creek Hot Springs, the nearby campground and dispersed campsites in the area are once again open to the public.
A portion of the emergency closure tied to the 50-square-mile Cliff Creek Fire was lifted on Wednesday. A large area extending north from the Hoback Canyon and the Bondurant area, however, remains closed and figures to be off limits into the foreseeable future.
“It is likely we will be dealing with isolated smoke and hotspots until we receive significant rainfall,” Bridger-Teton National Forest Jackson District Ranger Dale Deiter said in a statement. “Besides the uncontrolled fire still burning in spots within the area, snags, rootholds and falling trees are present and visitors need to use caution when recreating in Granite Creek.”
Although it may smolder for weeks, by many indications the Cliff Creek Fire is winding down.
The lightning-started blaze began with a bang July 17 and within hours of the ignition jumped the highway and Hoback River and was fast burning in the direction of Granite Creek. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for the drainage the next day and the road didn’t open to the public until last Friday.
Now considered 97 percent contained, the only portion of the wildfire that’s not out or boxed in by fire line is in its easternmost reaches near Jack Creek. The northeastern front of the fire perimeter, in the Shoal and Dell creek drainages and beyond, is being allowed to burn because of the natural barrier of the Gros Ventre Range.
The still-standing portion of the area closure surrounds the fire perimeter, beginning on the east bank of Granite Creek and extending in that direction for many miles. To view a map of the closure, visit InciWeb.nwcg.gov/incident/4865/.