Arcadia – The Angeles National Forest will temporarily shut down high-use portions of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and Los Angeles Gateway Ranger District, effective April 4 through April 30.
The closure is in alignment with current federal, state and local guidance for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the health and safety of National Forest visitors, volunteers and employees.
The closure includes four formal trailheads and 23 informal trail access points, resulting in a larger closure of 23 trails and 19 roads. In total, this results in closure of 81.5 miles of trail (out of 760 open miles) and 54.5 miles of road.
The closure does not close the ability to walk on to National Forest System land but does restrict access to roughly 40,000 out of 700,000 acres of the Angeles.
These closures will address public health and safety concerns to trail-related recreation. A violation of this prohibition is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. (Reference 16 USC 551 and 18 USC 3559, 3571, and 3581. Forest Order No. 05-01-20-03.)
The USDA Forest Service may need to temporarily suspend access to additional recreation areas that attract large crowds and cannot meet social distancing guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Visitors to national forests are urged to take the precautions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) so that these areas can remain open for everyone’s enjoyment.
See the complete list below.
To protect public health and safety all visitors to the forest are encouraged to:
• Avoid visiting the forest if you are sick and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
• Follow CDC guidance on personal hygiene and social distancing before and during your visit to the forest.
• If an area is crowded, move to a less occupied location. Also consider avoiding the forest during high-use periods.
• Take your trash with you when you leave. Trash overflowing the receptacles becomes potential sources for the spread of COVID-19.
• Please make arrangements to use the restroom before or after your visit to the forest. Unmanaged waste creates a health hazard for other visitors and employees.
Angeles National Forest leadership will minimally staff and restrict public access to all offices, visitor centers, and fire stations beginning Monday, Jan. 10, for two weeks.
The temporary emergency closure of the Angeles National Forest is being extended an additional week, from Thursday Oct. 1 - Thursday, Oct. 8, by the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region.
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I live in lytle creek ca. This is in san bernadino county. This area is busy with people who like to spend the day by the creek and hike up to the waterfall. I was surprised to see alot of people wondering around the area picnicking and hiking as usual. We have been following the recommendations to help contain this horrible virus. I felt disappointed to see the # of people who drove up here this w/e. I am concerned and upset that these people were allowed to come into the area where we live and possibly bringing this virus to an area that we are following the suggested protocols to help to slow the spread. I did not see the lytle creek community and creek listed. I would like to see it closed as it is a high use area just as the closed community of mt. Baldy which is close to us. I am happy and believe that these closures are needed.I also understand that this virus can live in water for days to weeks. People who are unknowingly shedding the virus could possibly infect our creek and even our ground water this really concerns me as we are on well water. I know the likelyhood of this happening is low….but it is possible well water is not treated like municipal water is and let’s face it we do not know enough about this virus to take chances that could cost someone their life. I’m not sure where or to whom I can make a plea to close the lytle creek area. Thank you Pamela Smith
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1 Comment
I live in lytle creek ca. This is in san bernadino county. This area is busy with people who like to spend the day by the creek and hike up to the waterfall. I was surprised to see alot of people wondering around the area picnicking and hiking as usual. We have been following the recommendations to help contain this horrible virus. I felt disappointed to see the # of people who drove up here this w/e. I am concerned and upset that these people were allowed to come into the area where we live and possibly bringing this virus to an area that we are following the suggested protocols to help to slow the spread. I did not see the lytle creek community and creek listed. I would like to see it closed as it is a high use area just as the closed community of mt. Baldy which is close to us. I am happy and believe that these closures are needed.I also understand that this virus can live in water for days to weeks. People who are unknowingly shedding the virus could possibly infect our creek and even our ground water this really concerns me as we are on well water. I know the likelyhood of this happening is low….but it is possible well water is not treated like municipal water is and let’s face it we do not know enough about this virus to take chances that could cost someone their life. I’m not sure where or to whom I can make a plea to close the lytle creek area. Thank you Pamela Smith