PINEHURST — On Wednesday, the Bureau of Land Management finalized its decision concerning a highly publicized section of road in the West Fork Pine Creek area. 

According to BLM spokesperson Heather Appelhof, the decision keeps things essentially unchanged along the West Fork Pine Creek route. Almost all existing structures will remain in their current condition, with no upgrades, repairs or removals planned. 

For the past five years, the area known as the “Rollercoaster” has been the subject of many debates over access, including a road validation hearing at the county level that was petitioned all the way to the Idaho Supreme Court. 

To address impacts caused by an unofficial bypass road, the agency will implement mitigation measures. Seasonal motorized public access will continue, allowing vehicles on the route during designated times of the year. Maintenance will be minimal, limited to basic upkeep to keep the route usable, with no significant improvements or modifications anticipated. 

The Rollercoaster is a challenging section of the West Fork Pine Creek route, spanning roughly three-quarters of a mile and featuring man-made obstacles such as pits, boulders, and logs designed for extreme off-road vehicles. 

Throughout much of the dispute, BLM mainly remained silent, allowing legal processes to play out. However, in November 2024, the agency began addressing confusion over route designations in the Rochat Divide/Pine Creek Special Recreation Management Area, where the Rollercoaster is located. Public input was solicited to correct maps and analyze man-made obstacles along the West Fork Pine Creek route under the National Environmental Policy Act. 

This set the stage for a formal review of structures like pits, boulders and logs within the Rollercoaster. 

In mid-2025, BLM released an environmental assessment considering options: remove the structures, retain them or take no action. Public comments were gathered extensively. All alternatives maintained seasonal motorized access, but the agency carefully weighed cultural resource impacts and recreation needs. 

While much of the area will remain the same, not all structures will stay in place. Jonathan Stein, an outdoor recreation planner with BLM, explained that three properties were identified in the environmental assessment as potential candidates for the National Historic Preservation Act. Only one of these three properties was deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. 

The site, known as the F. Brooks Historic Habitation was identified through archival research, though the original buildings shown on early maps are gone. Only compressed soil outlines and historic refuse remain, suggesting long-term use. Buried artifacts could reveal whether the site was tied to mining, farming or homesteading, making it eligible for the National Register because of their potential to provide important historical information. 

According to the environmental assessment report, a bypass road was created to circumvent a man-made off-road structure within the Rollercoaster, but it crossed over the historic property. Because the structures are close to the site and the alternative route encroaches on it, there is a higher risk of damaging subsurface archaeological resources through soil disturbance, erosion, artifact displacement or destruction, and potential looting of exposed materials. 

Stein explained that this area will be decommissioned and reclaimed, meaning the bypass road will be blocked off, structures removed and the area replanted with native seed. 

“Hopefully, over time, it is reclaimed by the natural environment,” Stein said. “This will mitigate the impact to the historical site.” 

BLM’s decision would have been released sooner, but was delayed by the recent federal government shutdown. According to Stein, BLM has remained in constant communication with local stakeholders, property owners and special interest groups. 

The full report, including the decision and all documents associated with the project, can be found at www.eplanning.blm.gov.