June 12 - June 18 Tahoe National Forest UPDATE on openings

Nevada City, Calif. June 11, 2020 – The Tahoe National Forest is increasing access to the public by providing additional developed recreational opportunities. We encourage visitors to check our website and social media pages for the most up-to-date information on what is open so that you can plan your visit. You can also call your local ranger station during normal business hours Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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. Responsible recreation practices should be maintained at all times, including:
• Maintaining at least six feet distancing from others
• Do not gather in groups and please follow the latest guidance from officials
• Communicate with others as you pass. Alert trail users of your presence and step aside to let others pass
• Pack out your trash and leave with everything you bring in and use.
• All services may not be available, so please plan accordingly.
The Tahoe National Forest will continue to phase in opening of facilities and services as county policies and facility preparations allow. For complete list of current updates, please see below:          
CampgroundsThe following campgrounds are open
All campgrounds are 90%-100% reserved unless indicated

• Highway 89, South
  • Goose Meadow Campground
  • Granite Flat Campground
  • Silver Creek
• Foresthill Divide Road
  • Giant Gap Campground
  • Shirttail Campground
  • Parker Flat (First Come First Served only)
• Marysville Road
  • Dark Day Campground (no group sites)
  • Garden Point Campground (boat in)
  • Madrone Cove Campground (boat in)
  • Schoolhouse Campground
• Mosquito Ridge Road
  • Ahart
  • French Meadows—Sites 32-75 are open, only vault toilets. Sites 1-31 are closed.
  • Lewis
  • Talbot – Restrooms are not open (First Come First Served only)
• Interstate 80
  • North Fork  
  • Onion Valley (First Come First Served only)
• Highway 89, North – The follow sites will open Friday, June 12th.
  • Bear Valley(First-Come First-Served. Reservations will begin June 19th)
  • Cold Creek (First-Come First-Served. Reservations will begin June 19th)
  • Cottonwood (First-Come First-Served. Reservations will begin June 19th)
  • Little Lasier Meadow Horse Camp (First-Come First-Served. Reservations will begin June 19th)
  • Lakeside (First-Come First-Served. Reservations will begin June 19th)
  • Lake of the Woods (First Come First Served only)
  • Lower Little Truckee (First-Come First-Served. Reservations will begin June 19th)
  • Upper Little Truckee (First-Come First-Served. Reservations will begin June 19th)
• Boca / Stampede Reservoirs
  • Boca (First-Come First-Served. Reservations will begin June 19th)
  • Boca Rest (First-Come First-Served. Reservations will begin June 19th)
  • Boca Springs (First-Come First-Served. Reservations will begin June 19th)
  • Boyington Mill (First-Come First-Served. Reservations will begin June 19th)

The following campgrounds are closed for the upcoming weekend, June 12 – 18, 2020. Closing any site for any reason is not an action we take lightly, but protecting our visitors and employees remains our highest priority. We are working with our state and local partners to determine the best path forward to safely reopen all campgrounds.
Reservations have been temporarily canceled for these campgrounds through June 19. If these campgrounds open before June 19, your reservation will be honored and camping will be available. If these campgrounds do not open before your reservation date, you will be refunded. Please check back in for weekly campground opening updates.

• Interstate 80
  • Indian Springs
  • Hampshire Rocks
• Gold Lake Road
  • Berger
  • Diablo
  • Packsaddle
  • Salmon Creek
  • Sardine
• Highway 20
  • White Cloud
  • Skillman
• Highway 49
  • Cal Ida
  • Carlton Flat
  • Chapman Creek
  • Fiddle Creek
  • Indian Valley
  • Loganville
  • Ramshorn
  • Rocky Rest
  • Sierra
  • Union Flat
  • Wild Plum
• Highway 89, North
  • Prosser Family
• Marysville Road
  • Frenchy Point
• Boca / Stampede Reservoir
  • Logger

All group campground reservations have been canceled through June 30, this includes:

• Big Bend
• Cottonwood Creek
• Coyote
• Emigrant Gap
• Gates
• Hornswoggle
• Prosser Ranch
• Tunnel Mils

Reservations are not available for the following campgrounds and they are currently closed:

• Grouse Ridge (unreachable due to snow)
• Meadow Lake (unreachable due to snow)
• Mumford Bar
• Poppy
• Robinson Flat
• Sagehen Creek
• Snag Lake
• White Rock Lake (unreachable due to snow)
• Woodchuck

Day Use Sites, Trailheads, Boat Ramps, and Staging AreasAll developed recreation sites on the Tahoe National Forest are now open. Trash removal services remain limited – please pack out all trash and waste. Toilet facilities remain limited, please plan accordingly.

• Gold Lake Road
  • Sierra Buttes Trailhead – Rough conditions may exist, snow just passed Packer Lake
• Highway 20
  • Gold Country Equestrian Trailhead – Open
  • Golden Quartz – Open
• Highway 49
  • Oregon Creek Day Use Area – Open
• Highway 89, North
  • Pass Creek – Open
  • Woodcamp Boat Ramp – Open
  • Donner Picnic Area – Open
• Interstate 80
  • Castle Valley – Inaccessible due to snow
• Boca / Stampede Reservoirs
  • Prosser Boat Ramp – Open
  • Boca Boat Ramp – Closed due to water level
  • Stampede Boat Ramp – Open
  • Boca Town Site – Open
  • Prosser OHV – Open
  • Vista Overlook – Open
• Marysville Road
  • Dark Day Boat ramp/picnic area – Open
• Mosquito Ridge Road
  • French Meadow Boat Ramp – Open
  • Big Trees Nature Trail – Accessible, windfall on access road and trail
• Foresthill Divide Road
  • Manzanita – Open
  • Parker Flat OHV staging area – Open
  • Sugar Pine OHV staging area – Open
• Bowman Road
  • Carr-Feeley – accessible
  • Lindsay – accessible
  • Loney Meadows – accessible

Motorized Routes and TrailsAll motorized roads and trails across the Tahoe National Forest opened May 1, 2020.  Trash removal services remain limited – please pack out all trash and waste. Toilet facilities remain limited, please plan accordingly. Remember to tread lightly on north-facing trails and in higher elevations. Thank you for helping to keep the Tahoe National Forest safe and clean, and for preventing further restrictions by recreating responsibly. Happy riding!
Please be aware that conditions are subject to change due to weather. Snow at higher elevations may be possible and not always reflected in updates.
Westside of the Tahoe National Forest

• Sugar Pine OHV system is open. Loop 6, of the Foresthill OHV system, is closed at the “lower bridge” due to major storm damage. The trail is open on both sides but the bridge is impassable.
•  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 – snow at winch hill 4
• Burlington Motorcycle Trail system – Westside Open
• Gold Valley OHV system  –  Log blocking 4×4 entrance, still snow on trails
• Excelsior – Rough conditions
• Pendola – Open
• Chalk Bluff – Rough conditions
• Omega – Rough conditions
• Alpha  – Rough conditions
• Burlington – Rough conditions
• Bowman  – Clear to Bowman Lake
• Lindsey (FS 17 RD) – Clear to lake
• Grouse Ridge (FS 14 RD) – Rough conditions from Bowman (FS 17 RD) to MP 3.80, the blocked by snow
• Cal-Ida – Fully accessible, rough conditions
• Fiddle Creek – Fully accessible, rough conditions
• Texas Hill – From Emigrant Gap clear to MP 8.5, rough conditions thereafter, 4×4 high clearance recommended. From Yuba Gap clear to MP 4.6, then blocked by large snow drift.
• Eureka  – Fully accessible, rough conditions
• Long Point Access – Rough 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, snow on road after

Eastside of the Tahoe National Forest

• Fiberboard (07 Road) – Open  
• Prosser Hill Moto (Animal/Animal Crackers) – open
• Bald Mountain Moto (Happy Face) – clear of snow, sections of the trail and area will be closed during the summer/fall to accommodate the Big Jack East Vegetation Project
• Lloyd’s Moto – open
• Meadow Lake – Open for 3.5 miles then blocked by snow
• The Bear Valley OHV system – Open, actively being cleared of down winter trees
• Yuba Weber  – Blocked by snow
• 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 – Open
• 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
• Rubicon – Snow melted out, mud holes and flooded spots
• Mosquito Ridge – Clear to Hell Hole

Local County Roads within the Tahoe National Forest

• Boca/Stampede – Clear
• Foresthill Road – Clear to Sailor Flat, patches of snow on road possible after Sailor Flat
• Indian Springs Road – Clear to OHV Trail Head. Signal Peak still snowed in.
• Gold Lake Highway – Open
• Sierra County has closed Mountain House Road between Goodyears Bar and Henness Pass Road due to road repair work for storm damage culvert replacements.

Non-motorized TrailsPlease be aware that conditions are subject to change due to weather. Snow at higher elevations may be possible and not always reflected in updates. Generally non-motorized trails are open, but may be inaccessible due to late season snow and other factors:

Below 5000’: Trails have not been cleared. Expect down trees and rough conditions on trails below in this elevation. This applies to:

• Pioneer Trail
• Bullards Bar Trail Complex
• Joshua M. Hardt Memorial Trail
• North and South Yuba Trail
• Dascombe Trail Complex
• Western States Trail

5,000’ -6,000’: Trails have not been cleared. Expect down trees and possible muddy conditions on trails below in this elevation. This applies to:

• The Lone Grave area trail system has been cleared.
• Blue Lake Trail
• Spaulding Lake Trail
• Forest City Trail Complex

6,000’ to 7,000’: Trails have not been cleared. Expect down trees, muddy conditions, and patches of moderate to heavy snow on trails in this elevation. This applies to:

• Hole in the Ground Trail
• Western States – open, clear east of Hwy 89; likely snow west of 89 over the crest
• Commemorative Overland Emigrant – open
• Sawtooth – clear of snow, sections of the trail and area will be closed during the summer/fall to accommodate the Big Jack East Vegetation Project
• Big Chief – open, clear of snow; access roads 06 and 73 open and clear of snow
• A1 (Jackass Ridge) – open, heavy use
• 5 Lakes – clear to lakes, then large patches of snow around 5 Lakes
• Loch Leven Trail – Wet and sloppy. With scattered snow patches.
• Castle Valley Loop Trail
• Commemorative Overland Emigrant Trail
• Loyalton/Boca Railroad Trail
• Deer Creek Trail

Above 7,000’: Any trails along the crest at high elevation still have large snow patches, making the trails difficult to follow. Snow is melting, but many these high elevation trails will likely not be clear of snow until the beginning of July or later.

• Mt. Lola Trail

• Mount Judah Loop
• Granite Chief Trail
• Pacific Crest Trail
• French Lake Trail

Tahoe National Forest and Virtual ServicesThe Tahoe National Forest has closed all offices to in-person visits and is implementing virtual services to protect the health and safety of employees and members of the public during the COVID-19 outbreak in accordance with guidance from federal and state authorities.  
Many services traditionally offered in our public offices are available online. To access these virtual services, please visit our website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/tahoe/.  We will continue to update our website with current virtual service information as conditions change. To email the Tahoe National Forest, please use the ‘Contact Us’ function on our website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/contactus/tahoe/about-forest/contactus.
Firewood Cutting PermitsThe Tahoe National Forest Firewood Cutting permit process has changed. Please refer to our ‘permits’ page for more information:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tahoe/passes-permits/?cid=stelprdb5212195