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MOUNT TIMPANOGOS — While it has stood as a refuge and a landmark high in Utah's rugged Mount Timpanogos Wilderness for more than 60 years, the past several years have not been kind to the Timpanogos shelter.
The stone-and-mortar structure finally lost the battle with age and the elements during the 2022 and 2023 winter seasons, leaving generations of Utahns to wonder what will be done about Utah's fallen and iconic backcountry shelter.
Managers for the Wasatch National Forest, along with engineers and specialists in partnership with the Park Service's restoration team, have completed an evaluation of the dilapidated structure and are considering next steps. More information on the current state of the shelter can seen in this video:
"We have all the information that we need now to determine what our decision will be," said Loyal Clark, public affairs officer for Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. "That includes reports from our specialists, our engineers. We've received information from the Park Service national preservation team and some other specialists that we asked to weigh in.
"As you can imagine, there is a lot of information that has been generated," Clark said.
What remains now is dissecting all that information and answering the question of feasibility, which includes cost and what funds can be allocated to the project.
While the Forest Service continues to proceed with a mind toward restoration, a final decision has not been made. While there is no decision deadline, according to Clark, "We're not going to drag this on. We need to make a decision and move forward. We're hoping within the next couple of months."
If, for whatever reason, the Forest Service decides not to pursue a restoration of the shelter, because of funding or other limiting factors, "that would be an internal decision," he said. Either way, the decision will be presented to the public for further input and feedback.
