North State roads, campgrounds, highway rest areas prepare for winter closures
There's not much time left for fans of the outdoors to visit spots in some North State parks and stop at highway rest areas in the mountains before they close for the winter.
The first closures already happened, or will take place starting Sunday, Oct. 15, forest and park officials said.
"As winter slowly approaches," some park roads and sites "become inaccessible due to snowfall," said Visitor Center Information Assistant Lauran Yerkes at the Shasta Trinity National Forest. Roads and campgrounds that become hazardous with ice and snow, or are snowed in, will be closed first.
Winter storms can close roads quickly, so check the Forest Service's Motor Vehicle Use map at tinyurl.com/wmc3azda before you go, Lassen National Forest Public Affairs Officer Amber Marshall recommended.
While campgrounds and some forest and park roads will close for the season, "the U.S. Forest Service doesn't close trailheads," Yerkes said. While they're still open, those areas usually become inaccessible in winter, so check weather conditions on park and forest service websites before you go winter camping.
Here are closures already in effect, along with roads, rest areas and destinations soon to close, according the U.S. Forest Service and National Parks Service and the California Department of Transportation.
Shasta Trinity National Forest closures
By November, motorists should expect winter conditions to block their way or slow traffic on Siskiyou County and Shasta County roads in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Yerkes said.
Roads usually hardest hit by winter storms from November to June are the Everitt Memorial Highway, Parks Creek Road, South Fork Road and Forest Road 26. Winter weather also impacts Whalen Road from Castle Crags to Trinity Lake, Castle Lake Road and Pilgrim Creek Road from the Pilgrim Creek Snowmobile Park and east, she said.
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On Everitt Memorial Highway, the gate at Bunny Flat is scheduled to close around Nov. 1. The McCloud River Loop Road closes on Dec. 1. However, both could close earlier if there's significant snowfall before those dates, Yerkes said.
Crews are removing the McCloud Boat Ramp dock at McCloud Reservoir for the winter due to icy conditions, Yerkes said. "The boat ramp is not officially closed, but boater launch and take out" is at the user's "own risk," she said.
Campgrounds are either closed or closing soon, and will reopen in May or June, 2024, Yerkes said.
Castle Lake campground will close on Sunday, Oct. 15.
McBride Springs, Panther Meadows, Fowlers, Cattle Camp and Ah-Di-Na campgrounds will close on Nov. 1.
Sims Flat campground closes on Nov. 15.
Lassen National Forest
Some park roads in Lassen National Forest close as early as Nov. 30, but most stay open until Dec. 26, Marchall said.
These campgrounds closed or will close soon in Lassen National Forest.
Campgrounds in the Almanor Ranger District are closed or will close by Tuesday, Oct 17.
In the Eagle Lake Ranger District, the Merril campground will close on Oct. 31. Eagle Lake campground will stay open until Dec. 31 or until heavy snow arrives. All other Eagle Lake campgrounds close with winter weather and snowy conditions.
All campgrounds in the Hat Creek Ranger District are closed.
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lassen Park Highway, from the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center to Bumpass Hell, is closed for repairs weekdays during working hours, according to the park.
Snow closes much or all of the highway through the park during winter, so check the park's website for updates at nps.gov/lavo/planyourvisit/conditions.
Warner Valley Road and Juniper Lake Road are already closed due to Dixie Fire damage, the park reported.
Most reserved campgrounds are closed, but B-Loop is open for first-come, first-served dry camping until Tuesday, Oct. 17.
Klamath National Forest
Access roads to campgrounds are closed by mid-October, said Public Affairs Officer Janine Summy at the Klamath National Forest.
Forest roads close only when snow blocks them, she said. None were closed as of Tuesday, Oct. 10. For updates go to the forest service's Facebook page at facebook.com/KlamathNF, Summy said.
Most campground facilities close in October. At that time, there's no garbage, water or restroom service, according to the forest service's website.
Highway rest areas close
Some picnic and rest areas along North State highways will close on Oct. 31, Caltrans reported. District 2 closures include:
On Highway 44, the Shingletown Safety Roadside Rest Area, three miles east of Shingletown
On Highway 299, the Hillcrest Safety Roadside Rest Area, four miles east of Montgomery Creek
On Highway 70, the Massack Safety Roadside Rest Area 6.5 miles east of Quincy, and the Lester T. Davis Safety Roadside Rest Area, three miles east of Portola
On Highway 36, the Lake Almanor Safety Roadside Rest Area, 4.3 miles east of Chester
Most rest areas reopen around May 1, according to Caltrans.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: North State park road closures begin. Campgrounds, rest stops close.
