The Angeles National Forest issued a revised Closure order this week, just in time for Memorial Day weekend. While very little has been opened, campgrounds such as Horse Flats, Chilao and Millard are now open for camping.
But don’t get too excited. None of the trails around Millard (Sunset Ridge, Dawn Mine, El Prieto) are open. Work on the restoration of Sunset Ridge continues, and El Prieto has had extensive restoration work done, though according to FS officials neither are ready or safe enough for general use. Fire roads in the area are also extensively damaged.
In the Chilao area, sections of the Silver Mocassin trail are unburned and will probably be open, but the traditional figure-eight loop we all love is not possible, as the Vetter Trail and other sections of the Silver Mocassin and Hillyer trail are impassable and most likely in the closed area.
A map of the new closure order area is posted on the FS web site, though the resolution is not high enough to definitively determine which trails are officially open. They expect to have a higher resolution map available soon. In the meantime, obey all trail closure signs and be safe if you’re heading up there.
If you plan to visit the area, also remember that the Angeles Crest Highway between La Canada and Red Box remains closed. Caltrans has revised it’s projected completion of repairs, and we may see this section of highway open by the end of this summer. You need to access the Forest from Big Tujunga Canyon to Upper Big Tujunga Canyon, or via the Angeles Forest Highway to the north.
Tags: Angeles national Forest, Chilao, Horse Flat, Station Fire, trail closures
