MENDOCINO Co., 9/30/19 — Fall has arrived, bringing with it dropping temperatures, intermittent rains, muddy trails, and the seasonal closure of a number of local campgrounds and forest roads. Cal Fire has announced seasonal closures of some campgrounds and trails in the Jackson State Demonstration Forest will begin today, September 30. There are now also new limits on the duration of camping stays in the Mendocino National Forest, limiting visitors to no more than 14 days at one specific area in one month, and no more than 28 days in a year.
The full details on both the Cal Fire seasonal closures, and the new camping restrictions implemented by the United States Forest Service, can be found below:
USFS camping restriction details:
Mendocino National Forest implements new camping stay limits
WILLOWS, Calif., Sept. 20, 2019 — New camping stay limits go into effect across the Mendocino National Forest on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. The stay limits apply to developed campgrounds and dispersed camping locations.
Beginning Sept. 20, visitors may camp in the same developed recreation campground for 14 days within any 30-day period but no more than 28 cumulative days in any 12-month period. For dispersed recreation areas, visitors may camp in the same location outside a one-mile radius of a developed recreation site for 14 days within any 30-day period but no more than 28 cumulative days in any 12-month period.
Forest Supervisor Ann Carlson explains, “We feel that these stay limits enable our visitors to enjoy great camping experiences in our developed recreation campgrounds and in more rustic locations while lessening the environmental impacts associated with long-term established camps and reducing the public safety incidents related to unauthorized residential camping.”
Please call the Mendocino National Forest office nearest your destination for current information. Forest Order No. 08-19-05 (Developed recreation camping stay limits) and Forest Order No. 08-19-06 (Dispersed camping stay limits) are posted here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mendocino/home/?cid=FSEPRD509485
Here’s the full details of the seasonal campground and trail closures from Cal Fire in the Jackson State Demonstration Forest:
CAL-FIRE-JDSF-CAMPGROUND-AND-TRAIL-CLOSURES-2019