Giving no advance notice, the U.S. Forest Service today, Aug. 7, ordered four dirt roads in Big Sur closed through Oct. 19.
The four dirt roads are located on the South Coast of Big Sur, an area that has seen increased visitation over the past two months. The affected roads:
- Forest Road No. 22S05 (South Coast Ridge Road)
- Forest Road No. 23S02 (Plaskett Ridge Road)
- Forest Road No. 20S05.3 (Central Coast Road/Cone Peak Road)
- Forest Road No. 23S01 (Los Burros (Willow Creek) Road)
If you are not a local resident and you get caught driving down any of these routes, you can expect a fine of up to $5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to six months, according to an order signed by Los Padres National Forest Supervisor Kevin Elliott. Organizations found in violation face fines of up to $10,000.
The closure comes after lobbying from local residents, firefighters, and conservationists who have witnessed a spike in vehicle traffic. Cars, often two-wheel drive, have dug ruts in the dirt making these roads nearly impassable in places, especially for first responders carrying life-saving equipment. Following busy weekends, evidence of many illegal campfires has been found and vegetation has been destroyed.
"The closure order was necessary due to the unprecedented number of vehicles using these roads to car camp, creating conditions where safe distancing is impossible, damaging roads that are not intended for this amount of traffic, and the disregard for forest orders that prohibit dispersed campfires," says Forest Service spokesperson Andrew Madsen.
These roads and several others in Big Sur were ordered closed early in the pandemic but they were reopened on June 14. As people look from some reprieve from sheltering in place at home, they have crowded outdoor sites.
While solving one problem, any such road closure creates another as more people get funneled into fewer locations that remain open exacerbating conditions there, says Mike Splain, executive director of the Ventana Wilderness Alliance.
"I shudder to think of what becomes the next sacrifice zone," he says.
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