High Sierra Topix

TL:DR - Roads are messed up, the situation is fluid, please be advised.
Let's talk forest service roads ... this has been a year for the books!
The record setting snow season across California has created an incredibly challenging situation concerning Forest Service roads. Based on existing snow depths, hazardous conditions and downed trees found during field inspections, the Stanislaus National Forest has extended its seasonal road closure order on many of our roads through May 31.

As conditions allow, our crews are regularly evaluating roads to determine if they need to remain closed or can be removed from the current closure order.

With so many forests facing a similar situation, our system for issuing forest orders has become a bit bogged down, thus our current forest order as posted on our website may not be the most current given the situation on the ground. Please contact your local ranger district office for the most current situation.

Given that knowledge, we ask the public to please approach Forest Service roads with caution – if the gate is open, the road is generally considered open and we ask you notify your local ranger office if you encounter any issues or concerns on that road. But even with open roads, please understand that in addition to Forest Service crews, our partners with Pacific Gas and Electric Companyand Hetch Hetchy are out on those road systems with heavy equipment repairing roads further into the road system.

Please slow down and exercise caution when using the road system, you don’t want to be traveling at your normal rate of speed, come around a corner and come face to face with an Earth mover.

Additionally, we strongly encourage everyone to respect locked gates when they are encountered – do not attempt to go around them or otherwise circumvent, seriously this is for your own good.

The damage we’ve seen on forest service roads is some of the most severe in years. Several of the roads in question are completely unpassable due to entire portions of roadway sloughing off down the hillside. We ask for your continued patience and support as we work to repair and restore our road system and make the forest as widely available as possible.

Full Forest Service Order - https://www.fs.usda.gov/.../FSE_DOCUMEN ... 102256.pdf