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Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

Carol B
 

We often have problems with people in fire areas that then limit fire fighting abilities. I¡¯ve been told that once people are noticed it sometimes changes the mission in to evacuation, vs fire fighting and also that they are unable to use their full arsenal (water and retardant dumping) if there¡¯s non-fire fighters on the ground.

Carol
Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

Good to read this thread and I got to thinking as to why the other parks are to be closed...
1. So they do not have to hunt for people to evacuate in case of a fire.
2. So they can move resources to support other parks as needed - thus limiting resources for support in one park or another.

Hopefully people do not enter closed parks and cause problems - damage, fires, etc.

TwoDogs
Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

Well Humboldt Toiyabe joined the other National Forest closures but not as strict. Day hiking and camping in established campgrounds is allowed but no overnight camping including Hoover Wilderness. Happy Labor Day!
Re: Status of VVR

 

Thanks so much for your service and hard work ! Hopefully next year will bring snow and rain to fill the lake back up !?
Re: Status of VVR

 

Hi Everyone just a quick update:
VVR will continue to provide hikers their resupply boxes, continue to pickup boxes and store them and we will also provide access to the store for resupplies and offer whatever services may be available at that point in time.
We will have a small crew on-site closing operations but will continue to render whatever services we can, and more than likely into early October.
So, if you arrive by foot we can elaborate on what is currently available as to hiker services. Shuttle transportation services off the mountain will continue through September.
If the Forest reopens on the 18th, what was stated above will be our continued policy.
Happy Hiking - VVR Jim
Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

Also:



For SEKI:


For Yosemite Valley:


I was in the Valley on Friday when the AQI was 132. That's the "orange" level which translates to "unhealthy for sensitive people". That doesn't too bad but it was sure ugly and you could definitely smell it. That was how most of my JMT was. I wasn't concerned about my health. But I didn't take very many photos of anything further than about 100 feet away. The views at the passes weren't worth capturing.
Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

Another very useful resource. You can zoom in and get air quality data for multiple locations.?
Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

This page has current information on Lodgepole in SEKI and a chart of air quality trends over the past several days. It doesn¡¯t seem too awful at the current time but of course that can change. There is also a notice on the SEKI website stating that the park is open and not impacted by the closures. But I wonder for how long and what the rationale is for keeping the parks open but the forests closed. It might just be a matter of different bureaucracies that have yet to coordinate.
Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

Well maybe we were just unlucky. At the moment Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows webcams look clear and the NOAA forecasts show blue skies for the next week.


On Tue, Aug 31, 2021 at 12:56 PM, Will Cronan wrote:
Lower JMT = southern end. Not claiming to be a prognosticator, in fact the opposite. Using past info weighs into a future decision.
Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

For Yosemite at least you need a reservation to enter the park. I have a wilderness permit this weekend entering Hoover Wilderness through the Humboldt Toiyabe National Forest which is still open¡­so far. Reservation.gov has not cancelled it like they are doing with other permits and campground reservations. I appear to have a golden ticket!
Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

FWIW: Just hiked Mammoth to Tuolumne Meadows on the JMT with my son. Little to no smoke. Exited Monday 8/30.
Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

Lower JMT = southern end. Not claiming to be a prognosticator, in fact the opposite. Using past info weighs into a future decision. It¡¯s a moot point anyway since the CA NF are close. Good day sir (said with a tip of the hat).

On Tue, Aug 31, 2021 at 9:39 AM fredxz via <fredxz=[email protected]> wrote:
"The BETA I have seen from backpackers along the Lower JMT has been little to no smoke back there."

I'm not sure what the "Lower JMT" means but my recent experience over a 2 1/2 week period was smoke every day except for 3. It was never so bad that I felt it unhealthy, at least for me, but I could see it (instead of the clear views I've known from the past), smell it, and often taste it.

If you can read the tea leaves better than the weather forecasters and figure out where the smoke from multiple sources, north, west, and south, will be blowing then I tip my hat to you.

Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

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As of Tuesday noon PDT the following is on the Yosemite NP web

¡° Yosemite National Park is NOT affected by closure of California national forests. Yosemite is open.¡±




On Aug 31, 2021, at 8:06 AM, fredxz via groups.io <fredxz@...> wrote:

?I'd be worried about NPS closure too. But even if they stay open why would you come out to this smoky state now? It's really awful here. I wish I lived somewhere else. Our backpacking plans are basically done until winter.

Re: All National Forest Closures Calif as of today #Conditions

 

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I was on trail last year. The Rangers were patrolling and it was very clear that we were to leave via the nearest trail


On Aug 31, 2021, at 8:19 AM, John Ladd <johnladd@...> wrote:

?On Mon, Aug 30, 2021 at 05:32 PM, Lange Jorstad wrote:
Okay, it's official, Regional Order No. 21-07 is now posted here:??
The order is very clear that it prohibits not only starting a new hike but also prohibits being on any Forest Service trail (even with a prior, legal entry)

Last year I know some hikers who thought they were getting "advice" to exit the trail and decided to complete. This year, it is possible that they could get ticketed on exit, particularly at Whitney Portal or Horseshoe Meadow (both exits are on Forest Service land, not National Park land). In any case if we are a law-abiding community I think we should abide by the rule. It is being issued for VERY good reasons and if we believe that other people should follow rules protecting the wilderness, we can't cut ourselves special exceptions because our trip is so epic.
?
--
John Curran Ladd
1616 Castro Street
San Francisco, CA? 94114-3707
415-648-9279

Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

"The BETA I have seen from backpackers along the Lower JMT has been little to no smoke back there."

I'm not sure what the "Lower JMT" means but my recent experience over a 2 1/2 week period was smoke every day except for 3. It was never so bad that I felt it unhealthy, at least for me, but I could see it (instead of the clear views I've known from the past), smell it, and often taste it.

If you can read the tea leaves better than the weather forecasters and figure out where the smoke from multiple sources, north, west, and south, will be blowing then I tip my hat to you.
Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

I¡¯ve seen mixed reports and some encouraging reports of less smoke at higher elevations which is the only reason I¡¯m still considering making the trip. ?I¡¯ve sent an email to SEKI asking them to confirm my understanding of legally being able to hike as long as one stays within the NP and I¡¯ll post if I get a reply.?


On a related topic, I received an email from MTR stating that they remain open and are on private land so they aren¡¯t having to close up. However, obviously getting there from the JMT north or southbound involves travel through a national forest which would be closed at least through 9/17. Understandably, they cannot refund resupply fees once they¡¯ve brought buckets up to the ranch but they can return buckets as long as they were sent priority mail.
Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

I'll speak for our group as to why we would attempt hike in our smoky state. We have been keeping a diligent eye on smoke reports for both INYO and Yosemite. The BETA I have seen from backpackers along the Lower JMT has been little to no smoke back there. East side Sierra 395 corridor yes but little at upper Elev. Same for Yose -- the webcams & trail reports have shown smoke to be a minimal issue up to now. Taken as an aggregate some days may be worse than others but that's relative to minimal smoke being the worse. So, living in California, we can afford to wait until the last minute to bail if conditions change. We are under no illusions that conditions will stay this way but for now...it's wait and see (for Yosemite).?


On Tue, Aug 31, 2021 at 8:06 AM fredxz via <fredxz=[email protected]> wrote:
I'd be worried about NPS closure too. But even if they stay open why would you come out to this smoky state now? It's really awful here. I wish I lived somewhere else. Our backpacking plans are basically done until winter.

Re: All National Forest Closures Calif as of today #Conditions

 

On Mon, Aug 30, 2021 at 05:32 PM, Lange Jorstad wrote:
Okay, it's official, Regional Order No. 21-07 is now posted here:??
The order is very clear that it prohibits not only starting a new hike but also prohibits being on any Forest Service trail (even with a prior, legal entry)

Last year I know some hikers who thought they were getting "advice" to exit the trail and decided to complete. This year, it is possible that they could get ticketed on exit, particularly at Whitney Portal or Horseshoe Meadow (both exits are on Forest Service land, not National Park land). In any case if we are a law-abiding community I think we should abide by the rule. It is being issued for VERY good reasons and if we believe that other people should follow rules protecting the wilderness, we can't cut ourselves special exceptions because our trip is so epic.
?
--
John Curran Ladd
1616 Castro Street
San Francisco, CA? 94114-3707
415-648-9279
Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

Exactly...having been smoked out three years with INYO closures, we "backed" up our INYO reservation date of 8/6/21 out of OV with another same date / similar?mileage route in Yosemite. So far, it's still a go but like you said, waiting for the other shoe to drop.?


On Tue, Aug 31, 2021 at 5:52 AM ravi_jmt2013 <ravi@...> wrote:
If anyone with insight into whether the National Parks might follow the lead of the National Forests and close, I'm sure many of us in the group would appreciate information.? Especially if anyone knows people within the National Parks who is familiar with the current thinking.? Like many others, my plans to enter on the east side via an Inyo trailhead was automatically cancelled and refunded.? But I was lucky enough to get a permit from Sequoia National Park last night for the High Sierra Trail.? However, I am reluctant to make plans and come out fearing that the next shoe to drop will be the National Parks. ?

Re: Insights on National Park Closure Risks?

 

I'd be worried about NPS closure too. But even if they stay open why would you come out to this smoky state now? It's really awful here. I wish I lived somewhere else. Our backpacking plans are basically done until winter.
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