Last week we reported on the closing of the popular Art’s Trail in Pt Mugu State Park. Since then we have heard second-hand reports of more detailed reasons why the trail and its connectors were closed, namely, that there were archeologically interesting areas in the vicinity, and also sensitive plant species. Here is the response we got from Dennis Dolinar, District Maintenance Chief of the Angeles District of the California State Parks:

Good Morning !

While recently working with several people on an updated official park map for Point Mugu SP, I became aware of a set of unauthorized trails that had been developed by unknown individuals in the section of the park that roughly runs parallel to the Ranch Center Road and between the Sage and Sin Nombre Trails. These illegal routes, which likely started out as simple game trails only used by wildlife, pass through sections of the park that have never been thoroughly reviewed by our resource staff with regard to possible impacts to both natural and cultural resources. Also, the trails themselves have never been evaluated by staff regarding safe and appropriate routing through the varied terrain they cross. Subsequent conversations with our staff brought to light that there is at least one recorded culturally sensitive site in the immediate area and the entire meadows area should be further investigated . There also are as yet unconfirmed reports of unusual seasonal plant life in the area.

The opportunity to close these unauthorized routes presented itself last month and, as the District’s Chief of Maintenance, I worked with a local boy scout troop to block-off the four obvious access points to the area in question. It is our intention to keep this area closed to all users until such time as a complete evaluation of the park’s resources can be completed. There will be no attempt to actually remove the trails themselves unless that internal review warrants it. Ultimately, these routes of travel could possibly re-open but that  has yet to be determined.

Just to make sure that we are talking about the same set of unauthorized trails, I’m attaching a copy of a portion of a private party trail map that I’ve taken off the Internet. The person that produced that map identifies these routes as being Art’s Trail ( #19 ). I have also heard these same routes called by other names by park visitors.

Any support that the CORBA membership can give us to manage this situation would be greatly appreciated as we strive to protect the park, it’s resources and all our visitors.

I hope this helps you better understand the situation.  Please share this information with others in your group.  ===> Dennis D

Despite the above email, questions still remain surrounding this issue and CORBA will continue to pursue any and all information pertaining to this closure.

For more, see the June 25th update on this issue.

From Sharon O’Rourke of The Gas Company

As of Friday, June 4th, we completed the initial access road repair work.  Access from Mulholland was re-opened to the public as of Saturday, June 5th.

On Wednesday, June 23rd, we will start the pipeline protection work which will include the final planned access road repairs and covering the remaining pipeline exposure areas with the concrete mats.  This will require closing public access to Sullivan Canyon at both Mulholland and Queensferry Road.  The closure is necessary for public safety due to the equipment needed for the placement of the mats.   The work is estimated to take 3-4 months.

Update August 31: Apparently the canyon will be closed until November 12th.

By Mark Langton

More trails, this time in Point Mugu State Park, have been deemed unauthorized and marked with signs and fencing designating them as closed (View our earlier article on Malibu Creek State Park). One trail, known as “Art’s Trail,” connects Sage Trail and Sin Nombre, paralleling the paved road that leads to Wood Canyon. Two other shorter trails connect to the paved road farther to the west. Here is the narrative and explanation given for these actions from  Dennis Dolinar, District Maintenance Chief, Angeles District, California State Parks:

Last weekend, I participated in a project with a group of local boy scouts from Newbury Park to erect a combination of both fences and barriers on the four entry points to a set of unauthorized trails that lie in the backcountry of Point Mugu SP. I had become aware of these specific trails a couple of months ago while working with others on a new official trail map for the park. After discussions with our both our Senior Environmental Scientist, Suzanne Goode, and our District Archeologist, Barbara Tejada, I decided to take the steps necessary to close this set of trails until such time as they can be fully evaluated in terms of both user safety and possible resource damage.

The trails in question are totally unofficial and, as such, they probably go by various names in the hiking, biking and equestrian communities. A private website known as Ventura County Trails uses the following names to describe the trails in question. The main segment that travels roughly parallel to Ranch Center Road from Sin Nombre Trail to Sage Trail is been labeled by them as being “Art’s Trail”. In addition, there’s two short connector trails that go up to the paved road that have been given the names “Kubler” and “Clark”. It appears quite possible to me that these routes started out as little more than game trails that skirted the large, fragile meadow but, with repeated use by those park visitors who somehow knew that they existed ( they do not appear on any official state park maps ), they have become more obvious over time. Attached you will find a location map of the closed trails.

At this point in time, the trail entrances have been closed by use of simple barriers and fences but there are no immediate plans to destroy the trails themselves. The hope is that we can stop and/or minimize the use of this set of trails until such time as staff can evaluate the park resources that are potentially effected by these types of visitor use. Many of the people I spoke with out on the trail last weekend were disappointed but seemed to understand the need for us to manage this issue.

As time and work priorities allow, I will get back to you and your organization again as to our progress on this ongoing project.

While the above explanation is not wholly acceptable, it is within their purview to undertake these actions. What is most frustrating about the above comments is that State Parks is expending resources on projects that lack more comprehensive internal, peer, and constituent review and input. CORBA is monitoring this situation closely and will have more information as we obtain it.

(photos courtesy Dennis Dolinar)

Also, see the June 16th update on this story.

By Mark Langton

The Grasslands Trail in Malibu Creek State Park between Mulholland Highway and Crags Road Trail has undergone grading and widening to allow ranger and emergency vehicle access. Also, the renegade trails that lead down to Crags Road from Grasslands Trail have been posted as “area closed due to plant rehabilitation.” Comments from Ranger Lindsey Templeton of California Department of Parks and Recreation (CDPR) state the the trails will be closed. Comments from CDPR engineers noted that a new properly built connector will be installed once the rehabilitation is complete. Please do not use trails that are marked as closed for rehabilitation. In the case of the Grasslands Trail, there is no significant advantage to using the trails that are being closed for rehab.