Legal Notice
Comments Sought on West Tensleep Corridor Master Recreation Project
Powder River RD, Bighorn National Forest
Powder River District Ranger, Mark Booth, is seeking comment on the following proposal in the
West Tensleep Corridor, Forest Service Road (FSR) 27. FSR 27 is located approximately 45
miles west of Buffalo, WY and 20 miles east of Tensleep, WY and intersects with US 16 near
Deer Haven in Big Horn County. The project area is located along FSR 27 starting at the Tyrrell
Work Center northward to the head of the West and Middle Tensleep drainages of the Bighorn
National Forest in Big Horn County. The total project area is about 25,000 acre including a
portion of the Cloud Peak Wilderness.
Proposed Action
To address the human health and safety concerns, resource concerns, and deferred maintenance
concerns, the Powder River district ranger is proposing the following actions:
1. Relocate West Tensleep Campground approximately one-half mile south of its current
location, and construct a new handicapped accessible trail to West Tensleep Lake.
Maximum capacity would be 20 sites. Ten sites would be drive-in; ten sites would be
walk-in. Campsites would be for tent camping only; no trailers or generators would be
permitted. The handicapped accessible trail to West Tensleep Lake would tie back to the
existing West Tensleep trailhead.
2. Relocate campsites from the Deer Park Campground to a newly constructed Warner
Draw Campground just north of the Tyrrell Work Center. Maximum capacity would be
30 sites. This campground would accommodate recreation vehicles up to 65 feet in
length.
3. Decommission (remove) the old West Tensleep and Deer Park campgrounds. In the 2008
recreation facilities analysis, these two campgrounds were identified for replacement due
to their age and the deterioration of the equipment.
4. Require all dispersed camping from Tyrell Work Center north and within the West and
Middle Tensleep drainage (including the portion in the Cloud Peak Wilderness) to be
self-contained for solid human waste.
5. Allow dispersed camping only in designated dispersed camp sites with campfires
permitted only in steel fire rings at the designated camp site. Maximum capacity is 40
sites; including some proposed sites less than ¼-mile distance from existing or proposed
developed campgrounds. Designated dispersed sites would be at least 100 feet from
water. The proposed locations are shown on the attached map.
6. Change the road width to a single-lane road with turnouts for the last one and a half miles
of FSR 27 (where FSR 27 crosses West Tensleep Creek northward to the end of the road
at West Tensleep Trailhead). Allow the existing road surface to return to native surface
over time, with rock protrusions of no more than 2 inches which still allows for passenger
car use.
7. Establish a safe speed on the rest of FSR 27 south to the Tyrrell Work Center by
implementing traffic calming actions (e.g., speed humps in the road, narrowing the road
to a 22 feet wide). Do not apply any surface treatments (such as magnesium chloride) to
improve the road surface or eliminate wash boards.
8. Just north of the current Deer Park Campground location, construct a turn-around at the
conversion from two-lane gravel road to a single-lane road, to allow larger recreation
vehicles and vehicles with trailers to return south on FSR 27. This would eliminate
difficulties with large RVs trying to turn around further north towards the trailhead.
Provide parking at this location for access to Trail #67.
9. Limit parking in the West Tensleep Trailhead parking area to 45 cars and four doublelength trailer spots – the number and type of vehicles for which the area was designed.
No parking would be permitted within ¼ mile of the trailhead.
10. Construct a horse/foot trail from the bridge at Warner Draw north to the bridge at Deer
Park along the east side of Middle Tensleep Creek. Another option is to construct a
bridge at the Island Park campground as part of this proposed new trail.
11. Create a loop trail from west of Warner Draw campground to trail 69.
Anyone with questions should contact Craig Cope, Project Coordinator, at the Powder River
Ranger District, phone 307-684-7806. Comments may be mailed to the Powder River Ranger
District, 1415 Fort Street, Buffalo, WY 82834 or emailed to comments_bighorn@fs.fed.us with
West Tensleep Corridor Master Recreation Project in the subject line. Comments received by
February 28, 2011 are most helpful. The complete proposal, including a map of the project area,
may be viewed at http://www.fs.usda.gov/bighorn.
Publish: January 26, 2011
For questions concerning this legal notice, call Craig Cope, 684-7806.