Los Padres National Forest reopens after 3-week closure due to wildfire danger
Los Padres National Forest reopened to the public on Thursday, ending a three-week-long closure that was implemented due to extreme wildfire risk and the ongoing statewide strain on firefighting resources, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman confirmed.
Public access to the forest was banned under a regional closure order issued on Aug. 29, affecting 14 national forests in California — some 20 million acres in all.
The closure included a big portion of Los Padres National Forest that reaches to the edge of the Big Sur Coast and inland areas of San Luis Obispo County from the Cuesta Grade to the mountains along Highway 58.
It affected several areas popular with campers, hikers and cyclists, including Salmon Creek, Sand Dollar Beach, Jade Cove and Plaskett Creek.
Most of the forests were allowed to reopen on Sept. 17, but the closure order was extended five days for the Los Padres and three other Southern California forests: the Angeles, the San Bernardino and the Cleveland.
Forest Service spokesman Andrew Madsen told Noozhawk on Wednesday that the closure order “will be allowed to expire at midnight tonight.”
The forest officially reopened at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, although it may take time for some facilities such as campgrounds to fully reopen.
Under the closure order for Los Padres National Forest, people caught entering Forest Service lands — including developed campgrounds, hiking trails and recreation sites — faced the possibility of fines of up to $5,000.
Some national forest system lands throughout the state remain under local closure orders in areas of ongoing wildfires to ensure public safety.
Fire restrictions banning wood and charcoal fires remain in effect in Los Padres National Forest, but they’ve been modified to allow portable lanterns and stoves with a shut-off valve in developed campgrounds and dispersed sites for people with California Campfire Permits.
This story was originally published September 23, 2021 at 5:05 AM.