Grover’s Hot Springs State Park Remains Closed.
Carson City, Nev., March 17, 2022 – The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest’s Carson Ranger District wants to remind visitors to be aware of their surroundings, stay out of closed campgrounds, and follow warning signs when recreating in the area burned by the 2021 Tamarack Fire near Markleeville, California. Burned landscapes present numerous safety hazards for recreationists that either did not exist prior to the fire or have been exacerbated by the effects of the fire.
“While full recovery of the landscape burnt in the Tamarack Fire will take time,” Brian Hansen, Carson Ranger District Recreation Officer. “Visitors to this area may already see meadows bouncing back, shrubs resprouting, and tree seedlings reestablishing.”
Currently, there is no area closure in place, so all trailheads and trails in the Tamarack burned area are now accessible, including Charity Valley East, Burnside Lake, and Thornburg Canyon. Hikers should be prepared to navigate without trails or trail signs, so make sure to bring along a map and GPS app or device. Also, it is important to stay on the trail as much as possible, because without live plant roots to anchor the soil, burned soil is easily erodible.
Crystal Springs Campground will remain closed due to concerns about the stability of the hillside that was burnt above the campground. Also, due to the greater risk of flash floods the lower part of Markleeville Campground by the river will stay closed. Hope Valley, Kit Carson, Silver Creek, and the upper campsites of Markleeville Campgrounds, as well as Centerville Flat and Wolf Creek Dispersed Campgrounds, will be open as weather and conditions allow.
For more information visit: https://bit.ly/CarsonRDRecreationInfo or call the Carson Ranger District at 775-882-2766.
For people recreating in areas that were affect by a fire, please keep the follow in mind:
- Flash Floods/Debris Flows: Fast-moving, highly destructive flash floods and debris flows triggered by intense rainfall are one of the most dangerous post-fire hazards. The risk of floods and debris flows after fires increases due to vegetation loss and soil exposure. Always avoid recreating in a post-fire area during a rain event. If caught unaware, get to high ground. Never attempt to drive or hike through an area that has been flooded or if a debris flow has occurred. These types of events hide dips in roads or trails and other obstacles. Worse still, there may not be a road or trail at all. Flooding and debris flows can wash away the entire road or trail surface and a significant amount of ground beneath
- Damaged or Dead Trees: After a fire many trees are weakened from burning around the base of the trunk. These trees can fall over or blow down without warning. Shallow-rooted trees can also fall. Therefore, be extremely alert when around burned trees, especially after rain events or during high winds. Never picnic, camp, or park a vehicle close to dead trees. Look up while on trails and if the wind really kicks up, head to a clearing out of reach of any potential falling trees.
- Burned Stump Holes/Root Chambers: Burned stumps may create rather obvious large holes, but these holes may actually be bigger. In many cases, the fire may have traveled through the root chambers and consumed the woody root material leaving vacant chambers where solid wood used to be. Overtime, these root chambers will collapse. A person’s body or vehicle weight on the root chambers may cause them to collapse, potentially opening a hole. Large trees have particularly large root chambers that can also be very deep. Be especially wary after rain as the moisture may travel through the root chambers and make collapse easier.
For additional information on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, please visit https://fs.usda.gov/htnf or participate in the conversation at https://twitter.com/HumboldtToiyabe and https://facebook.com/HumboldtToiyabeNF/.
Grovers Hot Springs State Park Remains Closed
Full Park Closure Due to Tamarack Fire Damage – California State Parks announced that due to damages caused by the Tamarack Fire, Grover Hot Springs State Park (SP) will be fully closed to public access until further notice.
On and around July 16, 2021, the Tamarack Fire burned through Grover Hot Springs SP and destroyed multiple state park housing structures, the maintenance shop, maintenance vehicles, and several trail structures. Wildfire impacts to park facilities, hazardous materials needing abatement, and risks associated with wildfire-affected “hazard” trees necessitate this closure.
The Park will remain closed to the public – to pedestrians as well as vehicles – as staff works on public safety and infrastructure restoration tasks. California State Parks appreciates your patience and your cooperation in staying out of the park while we work toward reopening.
This “virtual tour” shows what the park looks like post-fire.
Winter 2022 Update
Winter 2022 Update: The park remains fully closed to public access. Crews continue to make progress towards felling hundreds of hazard trees. Hazard tree removal is expected to last several more months, depending on weather, and the trails remain closed. The hot springs are also closed as infrastructure rebuilding and repairs continue. Because the opening date is uncertain, camping reservations are not available at this time. We will post reopening updates here. Thank you for your continued patience.
