The U.S. Forest Service’s decision to close almost all of California’s national forests means that thousands of Southern Californians must scrub their Labor Day plans, especially those travelers headed for Mammoth and nearby mountain resorts.
The move was taken to “provide public and firefighter safety due to the ongoing California wildfire crisis,” the order said. It also underscored the need to prevent new fires and keep people out of areas that suddenly may become unsafe or need to be evacuated.
The action, which takes effect at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, shuts a hefty chunk of the state’s public land, including many campgrounds, through at least Sept. 17. The closure includes four forests surrounding Southern California: Angeles, Los Padres, San Bernardino and Cleveland.
Though many heavily trafficked roads through national forest areas will remain open, including Interstate 5, some roads will close.
Caltrans tweeted that at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday its crews would close these Angeles National Forest routes: California 2 at Angeles Forest Highway (about 7 miles above La Cañada-Flintridge); California 2 at Big Pines; California 39 at Gateway Center; Golden State Highway at Interstate 5; and the Old Ridge Route at California 138.
L.A. County road closures include Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road at California 2 and Angeles Forest Highway; Mt. Baldy Road at Shinn Road near San Antonio Canyon; Glendora Mountain Road and Glendora Ridge Road; and San Dimas Canyon Road. L.A. County updates road closures on the Public Works website.
Statewide, many roads through national forests remain open if there’s no immediate fire danger. “If it’s a state or county road, we don’t have jurisdiction to close it,” said Deb Schweizer, public affairs officer for Inyo National Forest.
Among the affected mountain resort areas:
Mammoth Mountain in Inyo National Forest, has shut its Mammoth Bike Park, Via Ferrata, Adventure Center, Scenic Gondola and Camp High Sierra for the summer. Resort management has promised refunds to travelers with activity reservations, event tickets or lodging reservations for Camp Sierra.
The Mammoth resort’s historic Tamarack Lodge will also be closed through at least Sept. 17, prompting the resort to offer help with rebooking or refunds.
At Snow Valley in the San Bernardino National Forest, which has been offering mountain biking and chair lift rides Fridays through Mondays, management slapped an “operations suspended” notice on the resort website late Monday night.
In a message to the public, management noted that the closure is because of statewide needs, not any specific fire. The resort’s leaders also said that they hope to reopen “at a moment’s notice” and stay open through Oct. 31.
Big Bear Mountain Resort suspended operations too. That means the bike park, Scenic Sky Chair and other summer activities won’t operate until at least Sept. 17. Guests with reservations may reschedule or request a refund. (The Bear Mountain Golf Course remains open so far.)
At Mountain High in Angeles National Forest, disc golf and restaurant operations have shut down.
Mt. Baldy Resort in Angeles National Forest, typically offers zip lines, lift rides, tent cabins and dining at the Top of the Notch restaurant. As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, resort management had not changed its website or phone messages in the wake of the forest closures. An annual Run to the Top event scheduled for Labor Day has been canceled, to be rescheduled for October.
Many public and private entities were still sorting out their responses Tuesday morning to the Forest Service’s Monday afternoon decision.
Management of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which operates in the San Bernardino National Forest, and the still-open Mt. San Jacinto State Park, had previously announced that it would close for annual maintenance Sept. 7 through Oct. 3.
Spokesman Greg Purdy said “the tram has permission to continue operations” through Labor Day, “but camping and backcountry hiking are, of course, suspended.”
Besides its effects on local hikers, the closures halt foot traffic on long-distance routes that cross national forest land, including the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail. “If you are out there now, it’s time to start walking out to the trailhead,” the Pacific Crest Trail Assn. posted in its online closure alerts.
The Forest Service order allows property owners and lease-holders within the forests to access their land, and it allows special-use permit-holders to “conduct administrative functions and to protect property and related assets.”
In the Lake Tahoe region threatened by the Caldor fire, resorts closed days ago, and many are evacuating from the South Lake Tahoe area.
The U.S. Forest Service manages roughly 20 million acres of forest land in California. Of the state’s 9 million acres of “highly volatile brushland,” about 6 million are managed by the Forest Service.
Wildfires also temporarily shuttered public lands last summer. Forest Service officials closed the state’s 18 national forests on Sept. 9, citing “unprecedented and historic fire conditions.” Thirty state parks and parts of California 1, affected by the Creek fire in Sierra National Forest, also were closed.
