Feds want Balancing Rocks road closed

The Sisters Ranger District is seeking public comments on the proposed closing of a short road into the Balancing Rocks area above the Metolius River arm of Lake Billy Chinook.

The closure would allow only hiking access into this unique geological area on a new trail.

Public comments are to be submitted by May 9, according to Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony. Plans are to begin work on the project by June 21.

“The decision to be made by implementing the proposed action is whether or not to provide non-motorized access to the Balancing Rocks area and what mitigations and developments could take place,” Anthony wrote in announcing the proposed project.

Balancing Rocks is a very unusual scenic attraction of the Sisters area. The unusual rock formations are located just north of County Road 64 about 20 miles north of Sisters and 1.5 miles east of Perry South Campground. The name comes from a number of large, flat, tilted capstones resting on slender pillars of volcanic turf. Some pillars are 10 feet tall and the rock slabs all tilt to the west. Geologists estimate it took hundreds of thousands of years for these formations to build.

The first written record of their existence came from Henry L. Abbott who led the Pacific Railroad Survey through this area in 1855. Over the years, local residents became aware of them and eventually several guide books published articles about them. They have been shown on Oregon Public Broadcasting Television and in a motion picture.

Access by a short spur road allowed vehicles to drive to an informal parking area to a viewpoint overlooking the area. Additional roads were created that contributed to the eroding of fragile soils and there was some problems with littering. After the 2002 Eyerly Fire burned through the area, this spur road was closed, but motorized vehicles since have breached this closure.

Besides closing the spur road with natural materials, the proposed actions include creating parking for four to six vehicles at a new signed trailhead on County Road 64 and constructing a half mile of trail to the overlook area. This trail would be open only to hikers and closed to motorized vehicles, mountain bike and horses.

Comments may be submitted to Balancing Rocks Project Manager Michael Keowon, P.O. Box 229, Sisters, Oregon 97759, telephone 549-7701, or fax 549-7746. Comments also may be e-mailed to: [email protected] or delivered to the Sisters Ranger District office during regular office hours.