Whiskeytown Announces the Temporary Closure of the Crystal Creek Falls Area

Date: January 9, 2012
Contact: Sean Denniston, [phone]

The Crystal Creek Falls and Quarry area will be periodically closed weekdays beginning January 10, 2012 while park staff and contractors install a new parking area, restroom facility, paved path and picnic area to make the falls site accessible to individuals with disabilities. During this period, workers will also plant vegetation as part of the restoration of the Crystal Creek Quarry. This closure is necessary to provide for the safe use of heavy equipment. The National Park Service anticipates these weekday closures will last through January 27. Please contact the Park Visitor Center at [phone] for Crystal Creek Falls trail status.

The origin of the quarry site began with the construction of the Central Valley Project, which created Whiskeytown Dam and the reservoir behind its earthen mass. The water of Whiskeytown Lake comes from seven year-round streams that flow into the lake, and a diversion of water from the Trinity River. Blasted and dug from solid rock, the tunnel extends 10.8-miles from Lewiston reservoir to Judge Francis Carr Powerhouse, where the water reaches and sustains Whiskeytown Lake. The Crystal Creek Rock Quarry is comprised of the accumulated tailings, estimated at 250,000 cubic yards, removed from the mountains as the eastern side of the Clear Creek Tunnel was built in the late 1950's.

For more information on Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, please call or stop by the park's visitor center daily between 10:00 a.m and 4:00 p.m. You can also visit the park website at www.nps.gov/whis

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