Amador County – The U.S. Forest Service announced Tuesday that the wet weather seasonal closure of designated dirt roads and trails in El Dorado National Forest has ended, with the exception of 42 routes that remain closed by court order.

Forest Supervisor Kathy Hardy said the “recent warm weather dried out most of the lower elevation dirt routes.” As a result, she is “opening the majority of these routes to motorized vehicle use. However, 42 routes that cross meadows will remain closed to motorized vehicle traffic due to a recent court order.”

Hardy said some of the open routes aren’t as dried out as others. Forest visitors are responsible for staying on routes and not causing resource damage. Travelers may also encounter hazards on the open routes since little maintenance has been completed.

Frank Mosbacher of the Forest Service office in Placerville said many high elevation routes are still covered with snow and “drivers should use care not to cause resource damage. In most cases, these routes are located on soils that drain better than lower elevation routes constructed in clay based soils.”

Forest visitors can obtain free motorized vehicle use maps at all El Dorado Forest ranger stations and at the Placerville headquarters.

The U.S. District Court directed the Forest Service to keep 42 routes seasonally closed until a final court order is issued later this spring. Hardy said the court may direct her to keep portions of these routes closed until the Forest Service completes a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the route segments that cross meadows.

The SEIS is scheduled to be completed by April 2013. Information about the court order and locations of the 42 closed routes are posted on the El Dorado Forest website.

The seasonal closure does not apply to the Rock Creek Recreational Trails Area near Georgetown, which has its own wet weather closure procedures. The Mormon Emigrant Trail remains closed to through-traffic due to snow.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.