Closures ground hikers, campers

Hikers, mountain bikers and hunters who frequent the Angeles National Forest will have to find somewhere else to play. Access to 90% of the forest was closed Monday due to fire threat from extremely dry conditions, U.S. Forest Service officials say.

All hiking trails, almost all campgrounds and many picnic areas throughout the forest are shut. Places that remain open are near paved county and state roadways, not the deep backcountry access that recreational users crave.

The only two campgrounds that are open in the forest are Manker Flat near Mt. Baldy and Mountain Oak near Wrightwood, but campfires and smoking outdoors are banned. The doors remain open at all visitor centers.

One of the picnic areas still open is a site near the Mt. Baldy Trout Pools.

In San Gabriel Canyon, Highway 39 is open as far as two miles north of the West Fork picnic area, and anglers can go fishing in the East Fork. There’s no hunting in the forest, though three target ranges -- Burro Canyon Shooting Range, A Place to Shoot and Angeles Shooting Range -- remain open. Pyramid Lake is also open, as is the Angeles Crest Highway to through traffic.

Violators caught on the trails or in off-limits areas could be fined up to $5,000 and face up to six months in jail.

Dry conditions last fall, which led to fires that burned more than 750,000 acres and killed 24 people in Southern California, closed the forest for 11 days. In 2002, the forest was closed for six weeks until a hard rain allowed it to reopen.

The Cleveland National Forest also announced partial closures Monday because of extreme fire danger levels. Areas south of Interstate 8 in the Descanso District, the Palomar Divide Shooting Area and trails and off-road vehicle access to the Wildomar area in the Trabuco District have been shut down.

Parts of the San Bernardino National Forest, including the popular Vivian Creek Trail to Mt. San Gorgonio, were already closed.

Officials plan to post closures at www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles. Call (626) 574-5200.

-- Christopher Reynolds

and Mary Forgione