State Parks Take Reservations Again

By Mountain Enterprise Staff

A helicopter was stationed at Chuchupate Ranger Station to protect the Frazier Mountain area as weather forecasters predicted Santa Ana winds would sweep hazardous conditions across yet another Southern California weekend, November 3-4. Low humidity and high winds kept the national forests closed. USDA Forest Service added firefighting resources to the alert: more than 111 engines, 14 air tankers, Hot Shot crews and eight helitankers. Fire engines from Colorado, Arizona, Oregon and New Mexico were deployed throughout the forest.

But Monday dawned like a quiet spring day. By Thursday, Nov. 8 the Los Padres National Forest was once again open to visitors. Fire restrictions that prohibit campfires and smoking outside of vehicles are still in place.

State Parks

California State Parks resumed taking reservations for all but three of the parks affected by the Southern California wildfires. As a result of the fires, 1,400 reservations at 11 parks had to be canceled. Visitors may now make reservations at any of 278 state parks for the Memorial Day weekend in May, the most popular camping weekend of the year.

Two parks that remain closed suffered significant fire damage: Palomar Mountain State Park and San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park (SHP), both in San Diego County.

There are lessons to be learned from those fires and how they were fought.

Fire consumed the entire 50-acre San Pasqual Battlefield park. It burned part of the museum roof and took out the park’s water supply system, power and sewer, plus three outbuildings. The annual "Reenactment of the Battle of San Pasqual," planned for December 2 has been canceled.

At the Palomar Mountain State Park, fire burned 1,230 acres, 65 percent of the park. A house on the property was coated in gel. As the fire came through, the house didn’t burn, but its detached garage that wasn’t gelled was completely destroyed. Gel also protected a second house and the ranger’s office.

At the peak of the fire, California State Parks provided temporarily campsites to approximately 3,000 evacuees. As of today, there are less than 95 evacuees in state parks.

This is part of the November 09, 2007 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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