Tahoe National Forest Begins to Reopen Select Campsites, Trailheads and OHV Areas this Week

The Forest Service announced a bevy of reopenings in the Tahoe National Forest this week, including all motorized roads and trails, and select campsites just northwest of Lake Tahoe.

The announcements came as the Forest Service unveiled numerous reopenings across Northern California, mostly in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Although the announcement has been greeted with enthusiasm, Forest Service officials ask that you only recreate in your local area.

“We continue to recommend that you recreate locally. All visitors should practice self-sufficiency during your visits to national forests. Recreating responsibly will help ensure that expanded access to recreational facilities, services, and opportunities continues.”

Here are all the campsites in the Tahoe National Forest set to open on May 22nd:

• Highway 89, South
o Goose Meadow Campground
o Granite Flat Campground
• Foresthill Divide Road
o Giant Gap Campground
o Shirttail Campground
• Marysville Road
o Dark Day Campground (no group sites)
o Garden Point Campground (boat in)
o Madrone Cove Campground (boat in)
o Schoolhouse Campground

Here are all the Day Use Sites, Trailheads, Boat Ramps, and Staging Areas now open:

o Sierra Buttes Trailhead – Inaccessible, snow just passed Packer Lake
Highway 20
o Gold Country Equestrian Trailhead -open
o Golden Quartz -open
Highway 49
o Oregon Creek Day Use Area -open
Highway 89, North
o Pass Creek -open
o Woodcamp Boat Ramp – Inaccessible due to snow
o Donner Picnic Area – Open
Interstate 80
o Castle Valley – Inaccessible due to snow
o Boca-Stampede Road
o Prosser Boat Ramp -open
o Boca Boat Ramp – closed due to water level
o Stampede Boat Ramp -open
o Boca Town Site – open
o Prosser OHV – open
o Vista Overlook – open
Marysville Road
o Dark Day Boat ramp/picnic area -open
Mosquito Ridge Road
o French Meadow Boat Ramp – open
o Big Trees Nature Trail – Accessible, windfall on access road and trail
Foresthill Divide Road
o Manzanita – opening Friday, May 22 (day use only). Fees apply May 22.
o Parker Flat OHV staging area -open
o Sugar Pine OHV staging area-open

Here are all the motorized routes and trails now open:

• Diamond Creek – Patchy snow and muddy conditions.
• Sugar Pine OHV system has favorable soil moisture conditions and is actively being cleared of down winter trees.
• The Downieville multiple-use trail system will still have moderate to heavy snow in higher elevations (much like every year) and connection routes to higher elevations will be impassable
• Fordyce Jeep Trail – Passable from Eagle up to Committee Crossing and back, not possible to get out from Committee to Fordyce Lake Rd
• Burlington Motorcycle Trail system – Westside Open
• Gold Valley OHV system – inaccessible due to snow
• Excelsior – Snow remains in shady areas, muddy in spots
• Pendola – Open
• Chalk Bluff – Muddy conditions
• Omega – Muddy conditions
• Alpha – Some muddy conditions
• Burlington – Some muddy conditions
• Bowman – Clear to Bowman Lake
• Cal-Ida – Open to mile post 4
• Fiddle Creek – Open to mile post 8.5
• Texas Hill – Onion Valley accessible, windfall on road. Snow and muddy conditions exist
• Eureka – Snow conditions may exist past mile post 15
• Long Point Access – Muddy conditions
• Jouberts – Poor road condition, snow and tree limbs in road
• Madrone Spring – Good condition
• Washington Ridge – Good condition
• Packer Lake Road – Clear to Packer Lake, then blocked by snow

Eastside of the Tahoe National Forest
• Fiberboard (07 Road) – Passable to 41 road, then conditions unclear..
• Prosser Hill Moto (Animal/Animal Crackers) – open, mostly clear of snow, reported snow patches and downed trees on upper section
• Bald Mountain Moto (Happy Face) – clear of snow, trees from Big Jack East Vegetation Management across northernmost section of trail, veg management work continues in area, advise alternate route
• Lloyd’s Moto – open, clear of snow
• Meadow Lake -impassable
• The Bear Valley OHV system – Open, actively being cleared of down winter trees
• Yuba Weber – Snow covered and not accessible
• Carmen Valley – Road is snow free and in good condition and passable
• Nichols Mill – Road is snow free and in good condition until ridgeline/elevation gain.
• Verdi Peak – close to passable, patchy snow
• Haskel Peak – Passable
• Babbit – Passable to Jones Valley; not much further
• Sawtooth (06 Road) – Passable to Second Gate
• Bear Valley Road – Snow free, good condition and passable
• Sardine Road- Snow Free, clear to Sardine Lake

Local County Roads within the Tahoe National Forest
• Boca/Stampede – Clear
• Mosquito Ridge – Clear to Hell Hole
• Foresthill Road – Clear to Sailor Flat, patches of snow on road possible after Sailor Flat
• Indian Springs Road – Clear to OHV Trail Head
• Gold Lake Highway – Open