Maybe this will shed some light on if you can get around without the bridge:
You can look on that other thread and find some vids I put up too.
I certainly wouldn't put myself in any position where I HAD to cross. Or have another plan in mind if I came from
the other direction and got stymied.
The beams themselves are not too big a deal IMO. But, they may get washed out when the big melt occurs in the spring.
I'm not sure exactly why they put them up... it's just too enticing to cross.. they may have had plans to get
the bridge fixed quickly... but then storms came a rollin in and stymied them.
I highly doubt they will even issue you a permit. You can call HH entrance and ask. When are you planning to go?
Just a heads up ... the guy manning the gate over Xmas didn't know anything about the trails... he asked where
we went and we started explaining conditions and whatnot... and he said he just started working HH and
thanks for the info...
Also, no one had gone out of HH from about mid-Nov thru Dec 26 except me, the wifie, and the old dude
so can almost guarantee you they are gonna say "no can go to Rancheria or over the Wap. bridge".
Good luck
btw...
(pict. above was Dec. 10) on Dec. 26 the water was down but not a huge amount... the falls will go down
in winter ... fluctuate during the day/night, etc. (you should look at the water flow data to see current
state and compare that to the date/picture above) (but I doubt they will give u a permit so it's prolly moot pts.)
Have fun