Short funds may curb access to Oregon Caves

CAVE JUNCTION, Ore. (AP) – As the tourist season approaches, the expanded Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve may not be all that accessible.

Legislation in December increased the size of the park in Oregon’s Siskiyou Mountains almost tenfold, from 488 to 4,558 acres. But park officials say it didn’t increase funding to pay for management of the new land.

Alpine lakes, mountaintop trails and a new campground are now part of the Oregon Caves park system.

The Statesman Journal reports the campground won’t open until at least 2016 due to hazard trees affected by root rot.

And tourists may not be able to reach the Bigelow Lakes basin, below 6,281-foot Mount Elijah, because the road that provides the best access is so rough that it’s not suitable for low-riding passenger cars.