Major Road Closures
Impact Visitor Access This
Weekend
February
15, 2019 San Bernardino, California____
Visitors
to San Bernardino National Forest are urged to plan ahead before heading out
this weekend. Damage from Winter’s resent storm, also titled Valentines
Storm, (Thursday February 14th) prompted
the closure of several mountain arteries, as well as U.S. Forest Service roads.
And more storms are predicted over the weekend with potential impacts.
Damage to State Routes 18, 38, 74 and 243 has
prompted Caltrans to close routes leading to the Idyllwild and Big Bear areas.
Currently, Idyllwild and surrounding communities are inaccessible to non-residents
and the only way into Big Bear Valley is via the backside of State Route 18
from Lucerne Valley in the Mojave Desert. However, Caltrans is scheduled to
reopen Highway 38 Friday evening.
As the situation is fluid, the public is
urged to keep checking Caltrans’ Quickmap tool at: http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ for
new closings and any re-openings over the weekend and beyond.
The
highway closures, if they remain, mean popular areas on the forest will be inaccessible,
including the popular snow play area at Snow Valley along State Route 18, Bee
Canyon, a popular target shooting and off-highway vehicle area off State Route 74
and Idyllwild-area trails into the San Jacinto Wilderness.
Major
closures to impact visitor access this weekend
· 1N33 (leads to West End Gun Club)
· 1N34 (San Servaine)
· 2N56 (Sheep Cyn)
· 2N58 (Middle Fork)
· 2N79 (Penstock)
· 3N06 (Stockton Flats)
· 3N29 (off Lone Pine Cyn)
· 3N31Y (Upper Lytle Divide)
· 3N33 (Stockton Flats area)
· 1N34 (San Sevaine)
Despite the
closures, the Lytle Creek Visitor Center will be open.
In addition to the
annual winter road closures, a few Forest Service roads in the San Bernardino
Mountains have been impacted:
· 1N12 (leading to Thomas Hunting Grounds)
· 2N43 (Sawpit
Canyon)
· 2N49 (Sugarpine Mountain)
· 3N14
(Coxey)
The
public is urged to use caution when on all Forest Roads, especially after storm
events, as conditions may change.
More
closures unrelated to the recent storm are listed on the San Bernardino National Forest Alerts & Notices webpage click here > https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/sbnf/alerts-notices