Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Inyo NF closing 5 PM Sept 7

All trails,campgrounds,day use areas,roads

The FS announcement is currently available at:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD799165

Dale B. Dalrymple

The notice at Dale’s link says they are closing campgrounds and day-use areas. It doesn’t say anything about closing trails or roads. Are they really closing all roads… including US-395?

395 is wide open. I suspect the intent is closure of forest service roads like the ones that have numbers 07S01. The directive doesn't seem to be too clear on that, though.

Well matter of fact 395 was closed for a short period last night for another accident near Olancha. Will update on gate closure on the three Southern Inyo roads later when details become available, I read Forest Gates are being closed in Mono area to reduce dispersed camping impacts.

Sad news...
The accident down by Coso Junction last week killed one of my tenant's sons...

Some additional and official clarity on closures:
ALERT! USFS ORDERS FROM PACIFIC SOUTHWEST REGION --- "Emergency Forest Closure" and "Emergency Fire Restrictions", listing prohibited activities "on National Forest System lands" with substantial penalties for violations, "effective from September 7, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, through September 14, 2020" within Inyo National Forest, Sierra National Forest, and other listed National Forests. See official text of orders below in attachments to the forwarded email from Schweizer, Debra A -FS, Inyo National Forest Public Affairs Specialist.
In unofficial summary, prohibited acts during forest closures include "1. Going into or being upon National Forest System Lands.... 2. Being on a National Forest System road...; 3. Being on a National Forest System trail....", subject to limited specified exemptions. Exemptions include, for example, "4. Owners or lessees of land, to the extent necessary to access their land. 5. Residents, to the extent necessary to access their residences. 6. Persons engaged in a business, trade, or occupation are not exempt from the prohibitions listed above, but may use National Forest System roads to the extent necessary to carry out their business, trade, or occupation."
In unofficial summary, prohibited acts during emergency fire restrictions include "1. Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire. .... 2. Smoking. ....", subject to limited specified exemptions.

Scott, do you have a link to that forest order?

Order 20-07:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd799208.pdf

Dale B. Dalrymple

FS Order 20-10:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd801433.pdf

Now all national forests in CA are closed.

Dale B Dalrymple

Doug do you have any idea when the campground will re-open? We have reservations for 9/15 to 9/19. Thank You

The various forest orders last week closed all Forest Service land in California through Monday. That includes roads, campgrounds, day-use areas, trailheads, and trails. The fires are still raging, and the smoke is still terrible in many places. I don’t have any inside information, but my guess is that they will extend the closure a week at a time until things get better.

Whitney Portal Rd has a Road Closed sign at the gate below the switchbacks. Gate itself is not closed, just the sign in the road.

Horseshoe Meadows Rd has a similar Road Closed sign just south of Lubken Canyon Rd.

Looks like the road is closed the closure order closed the Forest. With the understand that people would be coming out of the backcountry cars parked at the trailhead were posted to exit as quickly as possible. The next morning we had 20 plus cars in the lots and hikers coming out waiting to be picked up .So the gates were left open for exit traffic and people picking up hikers .
The closure is still active and the road is closed with the exceptions above.

Sorry to hear that Richard.

When I came out on the 7th, Toms Place was closing and my room reservation was cancelled. I understood at that time because they were on BLM land they were told to close.

I wonder if the homes/ cabins by Tom’s Place that are on BLM land on the East side of 395 were made to leave.
Never thought of that happening, unless there’s was immanent danger.

According to CalTopo, the buildings at Tom’s Place are on Forest Service land.

The homes on the north side of US-395 are on private land.

Recreation.gov has started reservations for permits again (beginning tomorrow), so perhaps they got the secret link to whatever rescinded forest order is buried somewhere within the abyss of the Inyo FS website...

...oh, and how many clampons do I need for the MR now?

This morning I got a permit for the MR, camping at Upper Boy Scout Lake, for Sept. 22-23.

The very helpful person from the Forest Service I've been in touch with noted that Inyo NF permits for entry on 9-15 through 9-19 are being canceled.