Summer is nearly here and as many prepare to spend Memorial Day weekend outdoors, officials are warning about closures in the Sierra.”What we’ve had to do is postpone some of the openings of our campgrounds around the Tahoe and Donner Lake areas just because of the snowpack,” said supervising park ranger, Bradley Cheshire with California State Parks in Tahoe. “We’re just now being able to get to some of those areas and kind of assess the damage.” In total, 26 state parks are partially closed including some in Northern California:El Dorado County- D.L. Bliss State Park- Emerald Bay State ParkEl Dorado/Placer counties- Auburn State Recreation AreaEl Dorado/Placer/Sacramento counties- Folsom Lake State Recreation AreaCalaveras/Tuolomne counties- Calaveras Big Trees State ParkYolo County- California Indian Heritage CenterVikingshold State Park reopened this Thursday after a few avalanches in March caused damage.Although Makayla Galvreath and Grady Jackson – both visiting from Maine – encountered some closures they’ve made the best of their time in Northern California.”When we went hiking there were definitely some closures, but if anything it let us kind of venture off and create our own adventurous path which was fun nonetheless,” said Jackson.Cheshire stressed that it’s necessary to respect the closures for your own safety and those who don’t follow the rules could be cited, fined, and potentially even be given a court date.Because of the closures, parking will also be limited, so they’re asking people to get to the trails early and avoid parking on the side of the roads because they will be giving out tickets and you could also have your vehicle towed.For those wanting to relax, South Lake Tahoe is also an option and officials say they’re expecting a crowd.”For Saturday and Sunday we’re about 90% capacity so if you’re looking to come in and visit the area, I suggest on a Friday and trying to extend that for the long weekend,” added Jennifer Dreyfus with the South Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority.If you’re staying in South Lake Tahoe and you don’t want to drive, the Lake Link shuttle service offers free transportation to the South Shore beaches, trails, entertainment, and nightlife to locals and visitors from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Summer is nearly here and as many prepare to spend Memorial Day weekend outdoors, officials are warning about closures in the Sierra.
“What we’ve had to do is postpone some of the openings of our campgrounds around the Tahoe and Donner Lake areas just because of the snowpack,” said supervising park ranger, Bradley Cheshire with California State Parks in Tahoe. “We’re just now being able to get to some of those areas and kind of assess the damage.”
In total, 26 state parks are partially closed including some in Northern California:
El Dorado County
– D.L. Bliss State Park
– Emerald Bay State Park
El Dorado/Placer counties
– Auburn State Recreation Area
El Dorado/Placer/Sacramento counties
– Folsom Lake State Recreation Area
Calaveras/Tuolomne counties
– Calaveras Big Trees State Park
Yolo County
– California Indian Heritage Center
Vikingshold State Park reopened this Thursday after a few avalanches in March caused damage.
Although Makayla Galvreath and Grady Jackson – both visiting from Maine – encountered some closures they’ve made the best of their time in Northern California.
“When we went hiking there were definitely some closures, but if anything it let us kind of venture off and create our own adventurous path which was fun nonetheless,” said Jackson.
Cheshire stressed that it’s necessary to respect the closures for your own safety and those who don’t follow the rules could be cited, fined, and potentially even be given a court date.
Because of the closures, parking will also be limited, so they’re asking people to get to the trails early and avoid parking on the side of the roads because they will be giving out tickets and you could also have your vehicle towed.
For those wanting to relax, South Lake Tahoe is also an option and officials say they’re expecting a crowd.
“For Saturday and Sunday we’re about 90% capacity so if you’re looking to come in and visit the area, I suggest on a Friday and trying to extend that for the long weekend,” added Jennifer Dreyfus with the South Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority.
If you’re staying in South Lake Tahoe and you don’t want to drive, the Lake Link shuttle service offers free transportation to the South Shore beaches, trails, entertainment, and nightlife to locals and visitors from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.