Damage there was so severe that a 60-day closure was ordered for four ranger districts (Monterey, St. Lucia, Santa Barbara, and Ojai). The Mt. Pinos district was not in the order.h
The order was issued on January 13 due to “extreme winter weather events in early January that caused flooding, debris flows, bridge, highway and trail failures.”
On Tuesday, a tweet posted by the Padres showed some of the damage that was still being assessed.
There may be a 60-day postponement of the decision.
The closure order said it would be “replaced or canceled when conditions and recreational access improve.” The Padres received more than 100% of its annual precipitation along with damage from high winds earlier this month, the forest’s website said.
On top of that, stretches of roads are compromised to get to the national forest.
Other closures in California
California’s state park system was also hit hard by the flooding, with some of its sites closed.
Twenty-one state parks, beaches, preserves, and related sites were fully closed as of 6:45 p.m. PST on January 24, and 40 other locations were partially closed.
Damage and closures have been widespread.
Other types of total and partial closures
Sometimes the sun and water cooperate to create the “Firefall” event, in which sunlight hits at a certain angle to make Horsetail Fall appear to glow like lava.
magicphoto78/Instagram
It’s not just recent winter storms that have closed off natural areas. Others are closed for more normal seasonal weather, past weather events, or both.
With so many partial and full closures, you should check the status of any state or national park before committing to travel plans.
Top Image: Big Basin Redwoods State Park in California. Photo via Adobe Stock.
