Temporary closures have been made of all 18 National Forests in California in response to Wildfire Danger

California is experiencing a record breaking wildfire season with unprecedented wildfire conditions and activity in 2020. This has prompted closures of 8  National Forests earlier in the week followed by the 10 remaining National Forests effective at 5:00 PM on Sept 9, 2020.  This includes Eldorado National Forest, Tahoe National Forest, and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. The Forest Service plans on re-evaluating the closures daily as conditions change.

According to Regional Forest Randy Moore, “The number of large fires and extreme fire behavior we are seeing across the State is historic. These temporary closures are necessary to protect the public and our firefighters, and we will keep them in place until conditions improve and we are confident that National Forest visitors can recreate safely. I ask all Californians and visitors to take these closures and evacuations seriously for their own safety and to allow our firefighters to focus on the mission of safely suppressing these fires.”

It is unclear at this point in time what that means for visitors to the Lake Tahoe region which is part and parcel of the National Forest. There is no indication that visitors to Lake Tahoe are not allowed but from the sounds of it visitors are being strongly discouraged.  For more info visit

Currently Restricted Uses in CA National Forests

• All Camping in developed campground as well as “dispersed” or “renegade” camping (camping outside of designated, developed campgrounds).
•  Day-use sites
• All Trails for Any Use (hiking, biking, equestrian, dirt biking)
• Picnic Areas
• Roads
• Pacific Crest Trail in All National Forest

 California State Parks Remain Open

California State Parks for the largely remain open except for those that are directly impacted by wildfires. More information on State Park Closures

Forest Service Closures

Pacific Crest Trail Updates