Stagger Inn reopens for limited use

PRIEST LAKE - The Stagger Inn, Roosevelt Grove of ancient cedar trees and Granite Falls are being reopened for day use only, the U.S. Forest Service has announced.

The sites have been closed this season due to hazardous trees, but trees identified as potentially hazardous to visitors have been removed, which prompted the agency to amend its full-closure order.

However, due to continuing concerns about the stability of other remaining trees, overnight camping at the Stagger Inn scenic area will be prohibited for the remainder of the 2014 season.

"We recognize the importance and value of this site to generations of campers will do our best to deem the site safer for camping in the future," Priest Lake District Ranger Matt Davis.

Davis said the Forest Service will be monitoring other trees and soil condition at the site to determine if additional trees need to be removed and whether the site can be reopened to overnight camping.

High winds in August 2013 caused several trees to become weakened at the Stagger Inn. One tree toppled onto a Sandpoint man, killing him.