Hudlow Meadows area closed to public for habitat restoration project
Beaver activity returned to the Hudlow Meadow area within six weeks of the area being closed to camping and motor vehicles.
Photo Courtesy of Idaho Panhandle National Forests
COEUR d’ALENE — A popular camping spot in the Coeur d’Alene National Forest won’t be open this Labor Day weekend — or for the foreseeable future.
Major habitat restoration is underway along the Little North Fork Coeur d’Alene River, prompting closure of Hudlow Meadows, according to Idaho Panhandle National Forest.
Hudlow Meadows is popular for RV camping and off-road vehicle use even though the area is marked as closed to motor vehicles on Motor Use Vehicle Maps.
“Access to the Meadow was previously blocked with boulders, but those had to be removed to get heavy machinery through,” Neil Shurtz, IPNF spokesperson, said.
A movable plastic blockade is currently in place, but even if this barrier is moved by people ignoring the closure, access to the area is restricted through Labor Day weekend.
“The last thing we want is for people to get all the way out there expecting to have access, only to find it closed,” Shurtz said.
Heavy equipment use in the area will continue to the end of the 2025 field season.
“It’s not a great place for people to be for the next couple seasons just because of these safety concerns,” said Chris Robinson, an IPNF hydrologist.
Hydrologists are working to reactivate the wetland habitat of Hudlow Meadows by diverting water out of the main river channel using log jams to flood outlying areas, Robinson said.
Reintroduction of wetland habitat to Hudlow Meadows will change how the public accesses the area after the closure is lifted.
“Part of the idea behind the project is that it’s actually going to be physically impossible to operate motor vehicles in the meadow,” Shurtz said.
When the project is complete, camping will be permitted in the area.