Officials ‘don’t know’ why big rig took a high-clearance 4WD road that got them stuck

A semi truck is still stuck on a forest road typically reserved for high-clearance, four wheel drive vehicles after apparently taking a wrong turn on Saturday. 

The tractor trailer got stuck on March 27th on Forest Road 150, otherwise known as North Star Mesa Road, in then Gila National Forest in New Mexico. 

According to Silver City Daily Press, Gila National Forest Public Affairs Officer Marta Call says she ‘does not know’ why the truck driver chose to take that route, as it is notorious for winding dirt roads and typically requires vehicles with high clearance and four wheel drive. 

The predicament has forced the closure of the road  from the intersection of Forest Road 61, Me Own Hill Road, to the junction of Forest Road 225, Link/Diamond Creek Road. Additionally, the temporary closure notice states that the shutdown could last until April 27th, although it is not clear why the closure would last that long. 

“I was contacted by the State Police, and we put up some barriers and instituted the closure,” Call said. “We didn’t want people driving all the way out there and not be able to turn around.”

“New Mexico State Police officers estimated to me that it could be removed tomorrow or within a few days,” Call said on Sunday. “They are working on getting a tow truck that can handle a truck and loaded trailer.”

For more information on the closure, contact the Wilderness Ranger District at 575-536-2250.