BAKERSFIELD, Calif. –  The Bureau of Land Management Bakersfield Office is lifting the emergency closure of the Creek Campground, a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail, and Canebrake Road in Tulare County.  The closures were in place for public and firefighter safety in relation to the management of the SQF Lightning Complex Fire and are no longer necessary due to the lack of fire progression.  The closures are lifted as of Tues., Aug. 13.  Long Valley Campground and Long Valley Loop road remain closed. 

The SQF Lightning Complex Fire started Tuesday, July 13, and has burned more than 32,000 acres of short grass and brush near the Chimney Peak Recreation Area.  The Trout Fire is 70 percent contained; the Long Fire is 98 percent contained; resources remain on the ground and both fires are being monitored by air.

Public and wildland firefighter safety are the BLM’s highest priority.  Be aware firefighting crews and emergency vehicles remain in the area.  For the latest information on the SQF Lightning Complex Fire, visit InciWeb.

MARINA, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management Central Coast Field Office is issuing an emergency closure of the Condon Peak Recreation Area and Campground in Fresno County, due to wildland fire danger from the nearby Boone Fire and existing evacuation orders. This temporary closure is effective immediately, until further notice.

The Boone Fire started Tuesday, Sept. 3, and has burned more than 17,000 acres of brush and grass fuels as well as burning in the area previously affected by the 2020 Mineral Fire.  

Clear Creek Management Area, which is approximately 63,000 acres of BLM-managed public land located in the San Benito Mountain Range in San Benito, Fresno, and Monterey counties. This closure order includes the Serpentine Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), Oak Flat Campground, Jade Mill Campground, Condon Peak Recreation Area and Campground, and all roads included within the Clear Creek Management Area.

The area is closed to all forms of public access to provide for public and firefighter safety in relation to the Boone Fire and management of that fire. For specific questions related to the closure, please contact the Central Coast Field Office at 831-582-2200. For information about the Boone Fire, please email Andy.VanSciver@ventura.org, or call 559-356-5041.

ARCATA, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management has announced a temporary closure of the Fleener Creek Trailhead and parking lot in the Lost Coast Headlands in Humboldt County for public safety, due to ongoing landslides that have damaged wooden steps needed for accessing steep parts of the trail.

Sections of the steps have fallen away as the soil has slumped, making the upper sections of the trail impassable.

“Our staff are evaluating the situation to determine what repairs are needed, and how long those repairs will take,” said Collin Ewing, manager of the BLM Arcata Field Office. “The situation has been exacerbated by ongoing winter storms. We will work to re-open the trail as soon as it can be repaired or rerouted safely.”

There is alternate day use parking at the main Lost Coast Headlands entrance, and alternate beach access parking at Guthrie Creek Trailhead.

The Lost Coast Headlands are along the coastal bluffs south of the mouth of the Eel River, approximately 280 miles north of San Francisco, 25 miles south of Eureka, and six miles west of Ferndale. The 463 acres of public land provide seasonal beach access and include grasslands with scattered patches of forest and portions of the Fleener Creek and Guthrie Creek watersheds.

The site is popular for hiking, bird watching, wildflower viewing, and beachcombing and is part of the California Coastal National Monument.

For updates and more information on the area, please visit the Lost Coast Headlands webpage.

(Updated Oct. 2)

MARINA, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management has completed repairs to Clear Creek Road in the Serpentine Area of Critical Environmental Concern allowing visitors to receive permits online and enter the area in San Benito County. The full order rescinding the closure can be found on the website.

“We are excited to welcome the public back to the area for the first time in 2023 and remind visitors to recreate responsibly by staying on designated routes and by practicing leave no trace ethics on public lands,” said Central Coast Field Manager Zachary Ormsby.

Crews completed repairs to culverts and stream crossings on Clear Creek Road and maintenance work along the entire public touring route network in the Serpentine Area of Critical Environmental Concern; they also repaired the many stream crossings and culverts that were washed away during the winter storms. The completed work included a complete regrading of the total length of Clear Creek Road, which had experienced significant erosion from Clear Creek overflowing and washing out the road surface. Crews also surveyed the entire public route network and completed repairs and regrading, where needed.

Visitors can go online to recreation.gov to access permits for entering the Clear Creek Management Area and the Serpentine Area of Critical Environmental Concern. All visitors are required to have their own permit, regardless of age, and the permit must be always in the holder’s name and on them. Please note some visitors will need multiple permits to access areas within the Clear Creek Management Area. An individual is allowed a total of five permits per calendar year.

The Serpentine Area of Critical Environmental Concern permit is available for advanced reservations and allows the visitor access to the Serpentine Area of Critical Environmental Concern within the Clear Creek Management Area for the duration of one day.

Recreate Responsibly and Pack It In – Pack It Out: Practice Leave No Trace ethics, while recreating on public lands by packing out all your trash. Illegal dumping of waste is a public safety hazard and dangerous to wildlife.

Clear Creek Management Area encompasses approximately 75,000 acres, of which 63,000 acres are public lands managed by the Central Coast Field Office. Topography is rugged with elevations ranging from 2,600 feet at Oak Flat Campground to 5,241 feet on San Benito Mountain. Recreational opportunities include hunting, camping, hobby gem/mineral collecting, mountain biking, horseback riding, hiking/backpacking, and sightseeing. There are two developed campgrounds in the Clear Creek Management Area, Oak Flat and Jade Mill, both with picnic tables, shade structures, fire rings, and vault toilets.

For more information, please visit the Clear Creek webpage. For specific questions, contact the Central Coast Field Office at 831-582-2200 or BLM_CA_Web_CC@blm.gov.