Official websites use .gov
A .gov
website belongs to an official government organization in the
United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock
(
) or https:// means you've safely
connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only
on official, secure websites.
Roads and Trail Status
Last updated: May 23, 2022
-
Forest Rules, Regulations, and Forest Specific Forest Orders (regulations)
As a visitor to the National Forests, you are asked to follow certain rules designed to protect the Forests and the natural environment, to ensure the health and safety of visitors, and to promote a pleasant and rewarding outdoor recreation experience for all visitors.
Accessibility of the various roads and trails on the forest depends on the time of year and the weather. Some road conditions can be predicted, others can not. Unpredictable events of nature can produce road hazards which may not be cleared upon your arrival. Be flexible and enjoy the journey!
Seasonal Road and Trail Closures
The Eldorado National Forest has several versions of these:
All native surface (dirt, unpaved) roads and trails are seasonally closed from January 1 through March 31st. During these winter and spring months vehicle use on dirt roads and trails is prohibited.
- A Forest Order would be issued to go into the closure early or extend the closure based on forest conditions at the time.
Why does Rock Creek have a separate closure? Rock Creek's trail monitoring and closure system was already in place when Travel Management analysis occurred in 2005 and works well for the area.
Rock Creek Wet Weather Closure
Rock Creek OHV Trails are temporarily closed due to wet weather when 1.5 inches or more of precipitation is measured. The trails will open after a 48 hour period of drying weather. (Map and trail list is available on the Forest Order page.)
Snow Zone Closure
The eastern portion of the Rock Creek system is closed when 2 inches of snow is measured until the snow has completely melted from the Bald Mountain Staging area. (Map and trail list is available on the Forest Order page.)
Winter Deer Range Closure
From November 10 to May 1st the southern portion of the trail system is closed for wildlife needs. (Map and trail list is available on the Forest Order page.)
| Road | District | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
Specific Facilities, Roads & Trails |
Caldor Fire Area |
CALDOR FIRE AREA: Developed Recreation Site, Road, and Trail Closures - Forest Order 03-22-06 addresses closures to specific developed recreation sites, roads, and trails. |
|
Dirt Roads and Trails (native surface, unpaved) |
Forestwide |
The Seasonal Road and Trail closure is NOT in effect.
During the winter and spring months vehicle use on dirt roads and trails is prohibited. Use of soaked roads and trails contributes to sedimentation of streams and costly trail damage that can be prevented by avoiding use when trails are holding water. By allowing roads and trails to dry sufficiently, users will ensure quality trail opportunities in the future. |
|
Mormon Emigrant Trail (MET) / Iron Mountain road |
Placerville/ Amador |
NOT accessible through to Highway 88 for passenger cars. The road crew is working on this road now and expect it to be open on Thursday May 26th. |
| Road | Status |
|---|---|
|
ELD-63 |
Open. |
|
14N23 (FR 25) |
CLOSED still due to LANDSLIDES in 2017 & 2019. The slide will likely cost more than $1 million to remove and mitigate hazards. The area is unstable. |
|
14N19 |
Closed due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. |
|
14N08 (FR 2) |
Open. |
|
13N42 |
Closed due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. Impassable. |
|
|
Open. |
|
11NY05 |
Closed due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. |
|
Rock Creek - West Zone ** |
Open.
The Rock Creek Trails are appropriate for OHVs, bicycles, equestrians and hikers. There may be some down trees blocking sections of trails, so please use with caution. If you come to an obstruction, please turn around. Do not go off trail to get around the obstacle, because it causes resource damage.
Rock Creek has it's own wet weather closure plan and does not fall under the forest-wide seasonal closure.(Map and trail list is available on the Forest Order page.) |
|
Rock Creek - Southern Trails |
The winter closure is NOT in effect at this time: (November 10 through May 1. ***)
|
|
Rock Creek - East Zone |
Open. The eastern portion of the Rock Creek system is closed when 2 inches of snow is measured until the snow has completely melted from the Bald Mountain Staging area. (Map and trail list is available on the Forest Order page.)
|
| Road | Status |
|---|---|
|
ELD-147 (FR 3) |
Open. |
|
ELD-63 |
Open.
|
|
ELD-63 |
Open. |
|
17N12K |
Expected opening 5/27/22. |
|
xxxxx |
Expected opening 5/27/22. |
|
Ellis Trailhead / Rubicon 4WD Trail |
Open unless inaccessible due to snow.
|
|
16E21 |
Closed. For more information go to the Hi-Landers web page as they maintain the trail under the Adopt-A-Trail program. http://hi-landers.com/BLT/BLT.html |
|
13N28 |
Closed due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. Impassable. |
|
12N78 |
Open. |
|
xxxxx |
Partially open. |
|
12N52 |
Open. |
|
12N30 |
Open. |
|
11N99 |
Open. |
|
11N60 |
Closed due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. Impassable. |
|
11N55 |
Open. |
|
11N52 |
Open. |
|
xxxxx |
Open. |
|
11N38 |
Open. |
|
11N37 |
Open unless inaccessible due to snow. |
|
11N26 |
Partially accessible. Still snow towards the Campground on the north end. |
| Road | Status |
|---|---|
|
12N59 |
Impassable due to 2017/18 STORM DAMAGE. |
|
12N58 |
Impassable due to 2017/18 STORM DAMAGE. |
|
12N34 |
Open. |
|
11N53 |
Open. |
|
11N46 |
Closed - The bridge burned in the fire. CALDOR FIRE AREA: Developed Recreation Site, Road, and Trail Closures - A new Forest Order 03-22-06 addressing closures to specific developed recreation sites, roads, and trails takes effect April 1, 2022. |
|
11N40 |
Open. |
|
11N23D |
Open. |
|
11N16 |
Open. |
|
10N83 |
Open. Be careful of logging traffic. |
|
10N40 |
Closed - EID is repairing the flume and associated activities. Once this is complete in a few months the road will re-open . CALDOR FIRE AREA: Developed Recreation Site, Road, and Trail Closures - A new Forest Order 03-22-06 addressing closures to specific developed recreation sites, roads, and trails takes effect April 1, 2022. |
|
9N49 |
Impassable due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. |
|
9N46 |
Impassable due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. |
|
9N45 |
Impassable due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. 150’ washout 1 mile west of the intersection with the 10N83 road. |
|
9N34 |
Impassable due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. |
|
9N34C |
Impassable due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. |
|
9N10 |
Impassable due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. |
|
Caples Trail System |
The main trailheads are closed but the trails are not.
CALDOR FIRE AREA: Developed Recreation Site, Road, and Trail Closures - A new Forest Order 03-22-06 addressing closures to specific developed recreation sites, roads, and trails takes effect April 1, 2022. |
|
Elkins Flat* |
Closed: the trails were significantly damaged in the fire. CALDOR FIRE AREA: Developed Recreation Site, Road, and Trail Closures - A new Forest Order 03-22-06 addressing closures to specific developed recreation sites, roads, and trails takes effect April 1, 2022. |
|
17E73 |
Open unless inaccessible due to snow. |
|
17E16 |
Open unless inaccessible due to snow. |
|
16E26 |
Open unless inaccessible due to snow. |
|
14E31 |
Impassable due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. |
|
13E19 |
Open. Note: Five bridges were burned in the fire. |
|
13E08 |
Open. |
|
13E04 |
Open. |
| Road | Status |
|---|---|
|
8N50 |
Open. PG&E handles access to this gate. |
|
8N32 |
Impassable due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. |
|
8N25 (FR92) |
Open unless inaccessible due to snow. |
|
8N23 |
See Seasonal Road and Trail Closure in Forest Order table at the top of the page.* |
|
8N05 (FR91) |
Closed and Impassable due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. |
|
8N05G |
Closed and Impassable due to 2016/17 STORM DAMAGE. |
|
8N03 |
Open. |
|
Gold Note* |
Open. |
|
19E01 |
Closed. The gates at Deer Valley (19E01) and Meadow Lakes (09N01) 4WD roads will open on June 28th. |
|
17E79 |
Open. See Seasonal Road and Trail Closure in Forest Order table at the top of the page.* |
**Rock Creek Wet Weather Closure: During the Winter season (and other parts of the year as applies) as we get a total of 1.5" of rain or 2.0" of snow, we automatically close our Rock Creek trails. The closure of the trails applies to Off-Highway Vehicles, Bicycles and Equestrians to prevent resource damage to the trails in wet condition. We allow 48 hours drying time in order to re-open.
***Using any type of motor vehicle or bicycle on a forest development road or trail is prohibited between the days of November 10 and May 1, except Darling Ridge Road (12N80), Mosquito Road (12N60), Rock Creek Road (12N70), Slate Mountain Mine Road (12N83), Slate Mountain Road (12N76) and Lower Rock Creek Trail (Trail No. 23-25). Forest Order 03-00-03.