Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion What isn't closed tomorrow?

So what's open tomorrow?



Critical Forest Service Temporarily Closes Southern California National Forests
Date(s): Sep 7, 2020 - Oct 1, 2020

VALLEJO, CA, Sept 7, 2020 – California remains under threat of unprecedented fire conditions. Due to these conditions closures go into effect 5:00 pm PSTon Sept 7, 2020.

Closure of Stanislaus National Forest, Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest, Inyo National Forest, Los Padres National Forest, Angeles National Forest, San Bernardino National Forest, and Cleveland National Forest.
Prohibition of use of any ignition source on all National Forest System lands (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) throughout California.
Closure of all developed campgrounds and day-use sites on National Forests in California.

Hm. I live in SD County, just looked at the Cleveland NF site. It mentions holiday office closures, nothing else. Can you provide a link?

Never mind, just found it on the San Gorgonio Wilderness message board. Wow!

We already cancelled our climbing plans due to the smoke. The campgrounds and day-use sites are closing, but the notice doesn’t mention closing roads or trailheads. I don’t know whether you could park at a trailhead and hike, but I’m staying the hell away until conditions improve and they officially open again.

These forest closures are for sure necessary!! We don't need anymore fires! Geez... 2020 needs to be done already.

I did the JMT northbound about two weeks ago and the first two days of my trip were absolutely apocalyptic!! I started at cottonwood pass and once I got over the pass and on to Crabtree, the visibility was literally 1/8 of mile. I got to guitar lake and I couldn't even see the backside of Whitney. It started to rain Ash and then the lightning came in with a vengeance! I didn't get into a smoke free environment until I passed over Forester. Had some smoke into Evolution Valley, but not too bad. I've been hiking all my life in the Sierras and I have to say I have never seen it this bad with fires and smoke.

Hoping for some rain and cooler conditions for our firefighters out there on the front lines!

Bob, the closure posting on the San Gorgonio website by a "key master" (don't know if she's a volunteer or ranger) says ALL activities are banned in the closed forests including hiking, biking, and fishing. I'd assume they'll post some kind of signage at campgrounds and trailheads. And NO campground or day area use in NFs throughout CA. "Desperate times call for desperate measures." I just finished a 4 mile hike here in SD County. There's so much smoke in the air from the Valley fire that it felt overcast. My nasal passages and sinuses aren't happy.

Plus the notice I saw mentioned:
Prohibition of the use of any ignition source on all National Forest System lands (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) throughout California.

So no cooking anywhere in any National Forest in California.

The tail end of my JMT hike had some impact from smoke (Trail Camp looked like Mars), but I'm glad I finished when I did (almost two weeks ago now). My backup permit would've had me on the trail right now.

I saw somewhere tonight that estimated containment of the Creek Fire is October 15. 5 weeks before containment. We all know that is a wild guess. They're gambling on some moisture from rain to help stop the fires.

It has been said that historically, fires burned large areas every year. Now a hundred years of fire suppression has come back to bite us. There is no stopping these fires now. They were small fires before, but now, they look like atomic bomb damage.

I drove out of Sequoia National Park last night, just as the closures started. My campsite at Lodgepole was smoky; ash falling. What I found remarkable was that although the National Forests were being closed, the Park was still allowing people in. Go figure.

"Now a hundred years of fire suppression has come back to bite us."

I have heard that and it makes sense, except I am pretty sure they have been saying that for at least 30 years, maybe longer. At some point the excess buildup will have burned away. I would think 30+ years of large fires would be enough. So I don't get it.

Yet a great part of the areas now burning have not burned in the 100 years of record-keeping.

While it seems like there have been a lot of fires over the past 30 years, I read recently that the last several years, where a million acres have burned each year, is just now getting close to the area burned annually before fire suppression.

Add to that, a friend mentioned to me that the fire danger season has expanded by about 60 days per year compared to years ago -- drier climate, warmer temperatures. We all know the two words that indicates.

Just received this via email:

Important Update for Inyo National Forest - Wilderness Permits

• Inyo National Forest as well as many other National Forests in California are closed (effective 9/7/20) due to the threat of unprecedented and dangerous fire conditions with a combination of extreme heat, significant wind events, dry conditions, and firefighting resources that are stretched to the limit.
• This closure includes wilderness permits. Wilderness permits for 9/7/20 through 9/14/20 have been cancelled. This may be extended if needed. Permits canceled due to this closure will be refunded automatically through the recreation.gov website.
• Look for updates on our Inyo National Forest website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/inyo/home and facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/inyonf/

Our Inyo NF reservation is later this month.