March 28, 2018 - EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management Mother Lode Field Office is temporarily closing recreation sites along the Merced River, including McCabe Flat, Willow Placer and Railroad Flat campgrounds due to a mudslide, which has closed Railroad Grade Road.

Among the BLM’s goals are to provide a safe and secure environment for the public, employees and public land users, and to protect public land resources. Last week’s heavy rains loosened soils, causing an embankment to give way bringing down a large boulder, gravel and tree limbs across the Railroad Grade Road, making it impassible. No timeline is available for the road to reopen.

The Briceburg Visitor Center along the Merced River is closed for the season, but reopens Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend.

As stewards, the BLM manages public lands for the benefit of current and future generations, supporting conservation in our pursuit of our multiple-use mission. The Mother Lode Field Office manages roughly 230,000 acres of public land across 14 central California counties stretching from Nevada County in the north to Mariposa County to the south within the Sierra Nevada foothills. To find alternative recreation areas along the American, Mokelumne, South Yuba or Tuolumne Rivers, please visit https://www.blm.gov/visit.

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