Anonymous
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Los Padres National Forest officials today announced that campgrounds managed by concessionaire will remain closed through June 1 in an effort to remain consistent with state and local health guidelines that promote safe social distancing and discourage large gatherings.
Information on individual recreation sites is available on Los Padres National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf.
Outdoor recreation is beneficial to mental and physical health but must be practiced safely. The Forest Service is focused on ensuring the health and safety of our employees, our concessionaires and the public while maintaining our ability to provide mission critical services including emergency fire response, law enforcement, and support for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
If you do plan on visiting the National Forest please be aware that:
- No trash removal is currently offered – please pack out all trash and waste
- All toilet facilities are currently closed – please plan accordingly
- Avoid high-risk activities – law enforcement and search and rescue operations may be limited
- If an area is crowded, please search for a less occupied location
We are working with our state and local partners to determine the best path forward to safely reopen these closed sites. Please keep health, safety and the environment in mind when visiting National Forests. Your personal responsibility is critical to ensuring public safety and preventing further restrictions. Visitors are encouraged to recreate in areas close to home and avoid traveling long distances. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our national forests safe and healthy for everyone’s use.
The Pacific Southwest Region which includes Los Padres National Forest announced that developed recreation sites will remain closed through May 15. This closure order is being extended to discourage large gatherings of people and promote safe social distancing of staying more than six feet apart.
“Developed recreation sites” refers to designated recreational use areas such as campgrounds, day use sites and picnic areas. Information on individual recreation sites is available on Los Padres National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf.
Outdoor recreation is beneficial to mental and physical health but must be practiced safely. In light of the statewide shelter-in-place order issued by the Governor of California, we continue to ask visitors to recreate locally.
If you do plan on visiting the National Forest please be aware that:
- No trash removal is currently offered – please pack out all trash and waste
- All toilet facilities are currently closed – please plan accordingly
- Avoid high-risk activities – law enforcement and search and rescue operations may be limited
- If an area is crowded, please search for a less occupied location
Closing any site for any reason is not an action we take lightly, but protecting our visitors and employees remains our highest priority. We are working with our state and local partners to determine the best path forward to safely reopen closed sites.
Please keep health, safety and the environment in mind when visiting National Forests. Your personal responsibility is critical to ensuring public safety and preventing further restrictions. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our national forests safe and healthy for everyone’s use.
I wonder if local health officials have reported high numbers of transmission from person to person in the forest. I kind of doubt it. Seems like a over kill policy. They love closing the forest to recreation and close it to uses and areas at the drop of a hat. The more outdoor options they close only concentrates people at the few remaining options. Seems like a policy that will actually create the opposite effect.
concerned, if you read the article, you would note that its the “Developed recreation sites” and if you’ve ever been to any of these during normal times, you would see large groups of people packed into picnic areas and gathering around tables with families, kids, pets and friends all hugging, touching and sharing. The forest is open. They dont love doing this. Why be so cynical? Its pretty simple: we dont want this thing to explode like it has shown it can when groups of people get together.
Do there have to be reported high numbers of transmission before taking action? That sounds like it would be too late. You can still go for a hike or a walk or a run in the forest. Just not hang out in a campground or picnic area. We are so lucky in SB County – there are plenty of open spaces around us!
A note: Please bring your waste out when you leave. I can’t believe the number of fast food wrappers I’ve found while out hiking lately. Yes, I pick them up. Yes, I wash my hands or use sanitizer. Just because there’s a virus, doesn’t mean we should throw all other civility out the window.
Pendola has been closed for a long time. Paradise road is also closed and when it is open they charge you to go in or even to park unless you find a pull off.
That is certainly an odd photo to choose for this article, it’s not even the Los Padres.
“The more outdoor options they close only concentrates people at the few remaining options.” – This is precisely the point I’ve been trying to make. I wanted to go to Red Rock with my daughter the other, but the access road was closed, so…I went to Hendry’s instead. Another day, I wanted to take her to the little-visited Skofield Park, but since it was closed, we went to Alice Keck Park. Closing some spaces just concentrates people in greater numbers at the areas that remain open. Stupid policy.
So then where is it if not up from Ojai…looks a lot like Piedra Blanca?
I think you’re safer outside than what we’re all doing. I know myself, we go camping several times a year, as a family. The same family that’s cooped up and going nuts right now. We have never gone camping with random people…