The U.S. Forest Service is reassessing a plan that would limit the number of people allowed into five of Oregon’s most popular wilderness areas.
The federal agency proposed rules in June that would require hikers and backpackers to purchase a permit before heading into 500,000 acres of backcountry between Mount Jefferson and Diamond Peak.
But after getting more than 500 public comments — many of them critical of the plan’s scope — federal officials have developed alternative plans that are less restrictive.
Instead of requiring a permit for all overnight and most day-hiking trips into Mount Jefferson, Mount Washington, Three Sisters, Waldo Lake and Diamond Peak wilderness areas, the new alternatives target primarily the busiest areas.
Read the full story at the Statesman Journal.