Forest Service to Close 2 Dirt Roads

With storm season underway, the U.S. Forest Service has closed two popular unpaved roads in Los Padres National Forest for the winter and one road could remain closed until summer.

Pine Mountain Road, off California 33 about 30 miles above Ojai, turns muddy during the rainy season. Rocks and ice also make the road dangerous, said John Bridgwater, a ranger for the Ojai district.

Accidents were common before rangers started closing the road in the winter about 15 years ago, Bridgwater said. Cars got stuck in the mud or sometimes slid off the road. Repairs were also expensive, he said.

The road will reopen in the spring when the surface has dried enough, Bridgwater said.

Cherry Creek Road, a popular route to target shooting areas and Ortega and Matilija trails, also becomes muddy in winter, but may stay closed longer to protect habitat for the endangered steelhead trout.

The road runs through Cherry Creek, and silt stirred up by wheels disturbs a prime spawning area for the trout.

It will likely remain closed until summer.

Both roads will be open to foot traffic.