Wilderness airstrip to close for maintenance

The Salmon-Challis National Forest is notifying pilots that the Mahoney Airstrip will be closed from May 6th through the 10th.

A Salmon-Challis National Forest Wilderness Trail Crew will be conducting routine maintenance on the airstrip. It is located in the Frank Church River-of-No-Return Wilderness along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, southwest of Salmon.

A mule team will be used to perform routine maintenance on the remote airstrip in cooperation with the Idaho Division of Aeronautics. The airstrip will be re-opened as soon as the work is done.

A fly-in volunteer work day is being coordinated by the Forest Service in cooperation with the Idaho Aviation Association.

The Mahoney airstrip is one of three backcountry airstrips maintained by the Forest Service along the Middle Fork. The continued use of seven remote airstrips were specifically protected under the Central Idaho Wilderness Act of 1980, which created the Frank Church River-of-No-Return Wilderness.