Outdoor Recreation Fire Updates

The USDA Forsest Service announces closures

As of Aug. 31, at 11:59 PM and through Sept. 17th, all National Forests in California will be closed. This order does not affect the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, which is not in the Pacific Southwest Region.

“We do not take this decision lightly but this is the best choice for public safety,” said Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien. “It is especially hard with the approaching Labor Day weekend, when so many people enjoy our national forests.”

The main reasons for this closure are to prevent any new fire starts and to avoid the possibility of visitors being entrapped on National Forest System lands during potential emergency circumstances. Weather conditions make the potential for rapid fire growth very high, and there is no predicted weather relief in sight.

California State Parks Closures

California State Parks has nine parks fully closed and four partially closed parks. If you have any camping plans this Labor Day weekend, make sure to check for updates. The situation is dynamic and the public is advised to avoid many public outdoor spaces at this time.  The list below is subject to change.

Before leaving home, be sure to check the status of the park unit you want to visit to find out what restrictions and guidelines are in place.

Here is a list of closed and partially closed California State Parks as of Sept. 1, 2021.

Fully Closed:

• D.L. Bliss State Park
• Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park
• Emerald Bay State Park
• Lake Valley State Recreation Area
• Washoe Meadows State Park
• Donner Memorial State Park
• Tahoe State Recreation Area
• Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park
• Grover Hot Springs SP

Partially Closed:
Siskiyou County

• Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP
• Plumas-Eureka State Park
• Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park
• Weaverville Joss House SHP

The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, along with the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association and Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitor Bureau ask Guests to Postpone Visits to the Lake Tahoe Region Until Further Notice

Much of the Tahoe Basin, including the City of South Lake Tahoe and West Shore communities in El Dorado County up to the Placer County border are currently under a mandatory evacuation order with the situation continuing to be fluid. The following joint statement has been released by the organizations:

“The well-being of our local residents, businesses, communities, and visitors is of the utmost importance to us. At this time, we are asking all guests to postpone immediate travel plans to the Lake Tahoe region until further notice.

Our top priority is helping those affected. We ask for everyone’s support in following the orders of emergency agencies. We would also like to thank the firefighters, city, county and emergency organizations and personnel working to protect our communities for their leadership in coordinating efforts.

We are in close contact with incident authorities and will continue to update wildfire resource pages (Tahoe South, North Lake Tahoe) for both residents and visitors.”

Recent Updates from Mike Reitzell, president of Ski California explains the impacts at the resorts as of Wednesday, Sept. 1.

• Sierra-at-Tahoe suffered some damage, including the loss of the upper vehicle maintenance shop, but John Rice and his team may not be able to get back there for some time, so the total damage is unclear. The base area structures appear safe. There are still spot fires popping up.
• Heavenly is preparing for the fire to hit soon as it is heading directly east. The command center is moving to the California Lodge, where Heavenly will support large firefighting teams. Heavenly has been running its robust snowmaking system from top to bottom (3500 vertical), getting everything as wet as possible. All of SLT is evacuated. They are prepared for the worst, but hoping for the best. They have a very detailed fire plan and are hoping it yields some positive results.
• Kirkwood is the LZ for air support on the southern end of the fire. They did make some progress with helicopter drops, but the fire is moving up the backside of Kirkwood on Thunder Mountain. The smoke on the northeast end was too much for air support. They are cautiously optimistic given yesterday’s events, but there is limited intel on how the fire is moving behind Kirkwood.

Homewood Mountain Resort, though not currently under an evacuation order or warning, made the following statement.

The Caldor Fire crossed containment lines over the weekend and put the communities of Meyers and South Lake Tahoe at risk. Mandatory evacuations orders are in place. At least 40,000 residents have been told to leave their homes.

High winds and rugged conditions have made the Caldor Fire difficult to control. Over 205,000 acres have burned and over 650 homes and structures have been destroyed. As of Wednesday evening, the fire had reached 20% containment.

The conditions are still very dry, but winds are expected to decrease over the days ahead making it easier to fight this fire.

For up-to-date information and other resources visit CalFire link tree.

The Dixie Fire is burning on the Plumas National Forest, Lassen National Forest, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and in five counties: Butte, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama.

Dry weather and strong winds have kept this fire active and difficult to fight. There are still mandatory evacuations and road closures. Over 845,000 acres have burned and the fire is just over 50%.  It has destroyed 685 single structures and is threatening 13,614 structures.

Check here for up-to-date information or evacuations and road closures. 

Here is a link for the fires growing across California. 

As with all fires, the situation remains fluid. Please heed any evacuation warnings and postpone any travel to the Tahoe area until further notice. Once this, and the Dixie Fire, have come to an end please consider supporting these beloved California communities with your tourism dollars, donations or volunteer work. These communities will need all of our help to get back up and running.

Stay Safe!

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