Whiting Park Trails Still Closed From Storm

Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park will remain closed to mountain bikers, hikers and horseback riders until at least next weekend as crews mend rutted and washed-away trails, officials said Friday.

The park is another victim of last weekend’s El Nino-related rains that forced the temporary closure of the county’s wilderness parks. Officials say parks are routinely closed 48 to 72 hours after heavy rainstorms to allow trails to dry. In a few cases, parts of some county park trails remained closed Friday.

But last weekend’s rains left the greatest damage at Whiting Ranch.

“The trails all took a beating,” said Whiting Ranch groundskeeper Philip Martinez. “All of our 16 miles of trails are closed because it’s just too dangerous for people to use.”

Hardest hit were popular Borrego Trail and Mustard Road, where sections were washed away or left with 9-inch ruts and drop-offs, Martinez said.

“Mountain bikers would do more damage than good, if the park remained open, because the soil is soft and moist,” he said.

This week, Martinez and a crew of six began filling the ruts and building detours around washed-out sections. They plan to work through the weekend and into next week. Their job is made harder by the fact that the repairs are done by hand.

“We don’t use heavy equipment because of the soil conditions,” he said. “That’s why it takes longer to finish.”

Trails at O’Neill Wilderness Park did not sustain as much damage. But officials have closed the trails to allow them to dry out. The park remains open, however, and the trails may reopen over the weekend.

At Peters Canyon Wilderness Park, some trails remained closed Friday because of flooding and silt buildup, but other trails were open, said park ranger Mike Reeder.

“I thought we would loose our trails with the rain, but we didn’t,” he said. “I was pleased and surprised.”

Other parks reported that the rains created minor or no damage and did not force closures.