If you don’t live in the West you could potentially be forgiven for not knowing that roughly a gazillion acres of it are currently on fire. There is, we recognize, a lot going on right now. But if your hiking plans for the next month include trips in central or northern California, be advised that most of that area has now officially been closed through at least September 6.
The USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region announced today that it would be closing nine more national forests, effective August 22 at 11:59 p.m. The order brings the total number of closed forests in northern California up to 10: El Dorado National Forest, Klamath National Forest, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Lassen National Forest, Modoc National Forest, Plumas National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, and Tahoe National Forest.
This is bad news for thru-hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail, a path that runs pretty much directly through many of these forests. It’s also not great for people who live in and around these forests (you can still get to your house, you just can’t recreate on the land).
These closures are designed to make evacuations and fire management easier, so do us a favor and don’t ignore them, OK? There’s a nice $5,000 fine designed to encourage you to take them seriously. Also, maybe don’t be that guy out running in 400 AQI air? Your daily 10K isn’t worth permanently damaging your lungs.
You can find the official press release, as well as more details on the order, here.