Alerts & Notices

Whether hiking in the backcountry or touring along a road, travel in the mountains poses certain risks. Here you'll find the conditions you may expect and what you need to know before you go...

Road Conditions

Giant Sequoia National Monument (north) and Hume Lake Ranger District

• Search highway 180 at Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) here.
• Find current conditions through Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park here.

Weather Conditions

Regional

Current weather conditions from the National Weather Service forecast office at San Joaquin Valley/Hanford, California station here.

Local

Giant Sequoia National Monument (north) and Hume Lake Ranger District

• Pinehurst
• Park Ridge

Kern River Ranger District

• Black Rock
• Johnsondale
• Kernville
• Walker Pass
   
• Real Time Observation Monitor and Analysis Network (ROMAN)

Fire

• Southern California Interagency Fire Weather Center (FWC) Predictive Services Branch
• Northern California Interagency Fire Weather Center (FWC) Predictive Services Branch

Videos explaining fire restriction stages:

Web Cameras

This link from the National Weather Service provides live web camera views from several peaks located in Sequoia National Forest and surrounding areas.

Forest Regulations

Subpart A—General Prohibitions

• § 261.1 Scope.
• § 261.1a Special use authorizations, contracts and operating plans.
• § 261.1b Penalty.
• § 261.2 Definitions.
• § 261.3 Interfering with a Forest officer, volunteer, or human resource program enrollee or giving false report to a Forest officer.
• § 261.4 Disorderly conduct.
• § 261.5 Fire.
• § 261.6 Timber and other forest products.
• § 261.7 Livestock.
• § 261.8 Fish and wildlife.
• § 261.9 Property.
• § 261.10 Occupancy and use.
• § 261.11 Sanitation.
• § 261.12 National Forest System roads and trails.
• § 261.13 Motor vehicle use.
• § 261.14 Use by over-snow vehicles.
• § 261.15 Use of vehicles off roads.
• § 261.16 Developed recreation sites.
• § 261.17 Recreation fees.
• § 261.18 National Forest Wilderness.
• § 261.19 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
• § 261.20 Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.
• § 261.21 National Forest primitive areas.
• § 261.22 Unauthorized use of “Smokey Bear” and “Woodsy Owl” symbol.
• § 261.23 Wild free-roaming horses and burros.

Subpart B—Prohibitions in Areas Designated by [Forest] Order

• § 261.50 Orders.
• § 261.51 Posting.
• § 261.52 Fire.
• § 261.53 Special closures.
• § 261.54 National Forest System roads.
• § 261.55 National Forest System trails.
• § 261.56 Use of vehicles off National Forest System roads.
• § 261.57 National Forest wilderness.
• § 261.58 Occupancy and use.

Current Forest Orders
To Be Updated/Added

Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Regulations

The U.S. Forest Service enforces California Vehicle Codes (CVC) pertaining to OHV operations on Forest Service roads and trails. To view state regulations regarding OHV, click here.

Alerts

• Water Savings in Effect

  Date(s): Feb 4, 2014

  Due to the low water tables and ongoing drought, there will be water restrictions in place at several campgrounds this year.  Showers will be turned off in 2014, in order to conserve water, at: Auxiliary Dam, Pioneer Point, French Gulch Group, Hungry Gulch, Boulder Gulch, Tillie Creek and Paradise Cove. 

  These restrictions are intended to keep potable water available at the campgrounds for as long as possible through the summer.

Closures

• Winter Forest Service Road Closures in Effect

  Date(s): Dec 18, 2013

  Most Forest Roads in the High Country are closing for the season.  This precludes the use of wheeled motor vehicle use on these roads during the time of the closure order.  See these orders for more specific details:

  • Order 13_15 NFS Roads Motorized Wheeled Vehicles Prohibited 16 Rds 2013_12_18
  • Order 13_16  NFS Roads Motorized Wheeled Vehicles Prohibited 6 Rds 2013_12_18
  • Order 13_17  WD NFS Rds Motorized Wheeled Vehicles Prohibited 2013_12_18