Credit: Stanislaus National Forest
May 8, 2023 - SONORA, California – In an effort to secure public safety while providing as much access as possible, the Stanislaus National Forest has issued two new forest orders impacting motorized vehicle use road access on the forest -- STF-16-2023-07 and STF-16-2023-06 Temporary Motor Vehicle Use Restriction (Storm Damage). The first of the two, STF-16-2023-07 - Motor Vehicle Use Map Season Closure Extension, contains 49 road closures across the forest extended beyond the Forest’s typical April 15th date to reopen forest service roads. The closures remain in place due to snow load.
“While we are more than thankful for the amount of precipitation we’ve received this past winter, the snow and rain have created some access challenges for us on the forest,” said Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor, Jason Kuiken. “I personally understand the importance of getting these roads open for recreation use and public access but need to stress our priority will be on opening roads that facilitate public safety in hazard fuel reduction and fire suppression.”
As conditions allow and Stanislaus National Forest employees are able to access these roads to make proper assessments, a determination will be made to either open those roads (removing them from the seasonal use closure extension) or adding them to Forest Order containing roads closed for an indeterminate timeframe due to extensive storm damage (STF-16-2023-06). No roads will be added to the Season of Use Closure Extension Order (STF-2023-16-07).
It is the Forest leadership’s intention to update the public on those roads systems every Thursday via media outlets, the Forest website, and/or our social media channels when changes to road status have occurred. With crews working as fast as possible to assess road conditions and make new determinations, we ask the public to monitor the previously mentioned outlets for the most up to date information and contact their local Ranger District office for the most current situation.
Record breaking winter precipitation has caused significant damage to Forest Service Roads necessitating Forest Order STF-16-2023-06 - Temporary Motor Vehicle Use Restriction (Storm Damage). Roads under this forest order only prohibit motor vehicle use on the listed roads. As with the Seasonal Use Closure Extension, crews are working rapidly to access road conditions and make status determinations. Status determinations may mean roads will be added to this forest order (including roads currently on the Seasonal Use Closure Extension).
The combined 2023 Forest Orders result in the below list of recently open and still closed roads.
Roads removed (and now open) from previous Season of Use Closure Extension (STF-16-2023-05 dated April 15)
Mi-Wok District
1. 4N01 (Fraser Flat)
2. 4N02
3. 4N16
4. 4N17
5. 4N18
Calaveras District
1. 4N73Y (Candy Rock Quarry)
2. 5N85Y
3. 5N56 (Lower Interface)
Roads Currently Closed via Forest Orders
Summit Ranger District
1. Forest Road No. 4N12 (Herring Creek Road)
2. Forest Road No. 5N01 (Eagle Meadow Road)
3. Forest Road No. 5N11
4. Forest Road No. 5N40Y
5. Forest Road No. 4N34 (Gooseberry Road)
6. Forest Road No. 4N47
7. Forest Road No. 4N13
8. Forest Road No. 4N14
9. Forest Road No. 4N39
10. Forest Road No. 4N26 (Crabtree Road)
11. Forest Road No. 6N06 (Fence Creek Road)
12. Forest Road No. 5N28
13. Forest Road No. 5N30
14. Forest Road No. 5N95 from 1/2 mile north of the Middle Fork Stanislaus River Bridge to Intersection of 5N14
Mi-Wok Ranger District
1. Forest Road No. 3N01
2. Forest Road No. 4N25
3. Forest Road No, 2N07
4. Forest Road No. 3N07
5. Forest Road No. 2N13
6. Forest Road No. 2N14
7. Forest Road No. 4N85 (Sandbar Flat)
8. Forest Road No. 1N04 from Gate at Two Dog Pass to 1N07 (Cottonwood Road)
9. Forest Road No. 1N01 from Beginning of road wash out to 1N41
10. Forest Road No. 1NO1 from Hunter Creek to 1N02
11. Forest Road No. 3N02 from 3N51Y to 3N15Y
Calaveras Ranger District
1. Forest Road No. 5N77Y
2. Forest Road No. 5N02 Intersection of 5N14 South to the District Boundary (Beardsley Road)
3. Forest Road No. 6N58
4. Forest Road No. 7N23 (Black Springs)
5. Forest Road No. 6N81Y
6. Forest Road No. 6N45
7. Forest Road No. 6N78
8. Forest Road No. 6N51Y (Old Highway)
9. Forest Road No. 6N79
10. Forest Road No. 6N77
11. Forest Road No. 7N68
12. Forest Road No. 7N70
13. Forest Road No. 7N09 (Cabbage Patch)
14. Forest Road No. 7N16X
15. Forest Road No. 7N02 (Sand Flat/ Wolfeboro)
16.Forest Road No. 7N01 (Spicer Road)
17. Forest Road No. 17EV485
18. Forest Road No. 7N35 (Corral Hollow)
19. Forest Road No. 7N40Y (Bloods Creek)
20. Forest Road No. 7N12A
21. Forest Road No. 18EV287
22. Forest Road No, 7N93 (Round Valley/Mt. Reba)
23. Forest Road No. 7N17 (Slick Rock)
24. Forest Road No. 8N13 (Stanislaus Meadow)
25. Forest Road No. 8N12 (Pacific Valley)
26. Forest Road No. 8N06 (Hermit valley Rec Res)
27. Forest Road No. 8N02 (Deer valley Trail)
28. Forest Road No. 8N01 (Highland Lakes)
29. Forest Road No. 8N04
30. Forest Road No. 4N80Y Candy Rock
31. Forest Road No. 4N40
32. Forest Road No. 4N38 McKays Reservoir (Switchbacks)
33. Forest Road No. 7N08 (To Moore Creek above switchbacks)
Groveland Ranger District
1. Forest Road No. 2S13 from 2S02 to 2S13C
2. Forest Road No. 2S01 from 2S04 to 2S01C
3. Forest Road No. 2S01 from 2S66 to Private Land Boundary
4. Forest Road No. 2S17Y from IS16 to 2S83
5. Forest Road No. IS17 from IS17A to 1S36Y
6. Forest Road No. 1S66 from IS14 to 1S80
7. Forest Road No. 1S08
8. Forest Road No. 1S71 from Soldier Creek to End Mile Post
9. Forest Road No. IS03 from IS04 to 1S78
10. Forest Road No. 2S02 from 2S01 to 2S71
11. Forest Road No. 1S32 from 1S19 to End Mile Post
12. Forest Road No. INIO from 1SO1 to 1NO1
13. Forest Road No. 2S33 from IS14 to 2S39
14. Forest Road No. 2S30 from 1S70 to 1S11
15. Forest Road No. 1N10 (Lumsden Road), from its intersection with Ferretti Road, continuing east to its intersection with Forest Road No. 1N10C
16. Forest Road No. 1N07 (Cherry Lake Road) from its intersection with Forest Road No. 1So2, continuing north to its intersection with Forest Road No. 3N01
17. Forest Road No. 1S02 (Mather Road), from its intersection with Forest Road No. 1S83, continuing east to its intersection with Forest Road No. 1S26
18. Forest Road No. 1S28B
Source: Stanislaus National Forest
