Road Construction Temporarily Closes Hart Mountain Road

From December 2-6, Hart Mountain Road will be closed to all traffic traveling through the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, in the section between Camp Hart Mountain Campground to the Refuge Headquarters for road construction. This temporary closure is in effect from 7:00 am - 4:30 pm daily. Contracted workers will be adding four new road culverts on the steep grade road as one of the first steps in emergency landscape stabilization efforts following the Warner Peak Fire. The additional culverts will better support the expected increased runoff along the steep hillside, which lost much its vegetation from the fire in August.

During the day, this temporary road closure will prevent Refuge throughway access from Plush to Frenchglen Road and Oregon State Highway 205 during the day. If coming from the Frenchglen access, the public will be asked to return the way they came or wait until after construction is completed for the day. Alternate routes around the refuge include Highway 395 and Highway 140. Inclement weather may affect the start and completion of this project. Please see the Hart Mountain website, https://www.fws.gov/refuge/hart-mountain-national-antelope, for updates about the road construction and other details.

All other road closures affected by the Warner Peak Fire continue to be in effect, including the Blue Sky Road, South Boundary Road, and Hart Lake Road, until June 15, 2025.
 

Partial closures remain through June 15, 2025.

On road barrier, the image is up close to a sign stating "Road Closed". In the background is a sage step with portions burned from wildfire.
Image Details

The Warner Peak Fire is now one hundred percent contained, but over 82,000 acres of Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge (Refuge) will remain closed through June 15, 2025, due to the extensive wildfire damage and the potential threat of invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.

Learn more about invasive species .  For latest information, please see alert on refuge's homepage. If you have questions about how this closure may affect hunt seasons in Hart Mountain NAR, please contact Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at 541-883-5732.

Map of Current Closures due to Wildfires

Closures include: 

  • Post Meadows and Hot Springs Campgrounds
  • Warner Pond 
  • Blue Sky, including Hot Spring Road
  • Barnhardy Road (Normal seasonal closure is December 1 - August 1.)
  • Skyline Drive
  • Martin Canyon (portion)
  • Old Military Road (portion)
  • South Boundary Road
  • Hart Lake Road
  • Land surrounded by these road closures in southern and western portions of refuge.

Open access as of September 2, 2024, weather permitted includes:

  • Hart Mountain Road
  • Frenchglen Road
  • Camp Hart Mountain Campground (first come, first serve)
  • Shirk Road
  • Flook Lake Road 
  • Poker Jim Ridge  
  • Visitor Center is intermittently open between 8am-4pm when staffing is available.
  • Remaining 186,000 acres not burned by Warner Peak Fire

*Secondary roads close between December 1 - June 15.

To help sage brush rehabilitation, please clean bottom of vehicles before traveling into the Refuge to prevent spread of invasive weeds.