With 400 hours of volunteer clean-up in the last twenty days from damage accrued from two major storms, the Big Morongo Preserve in Morongo Valley will re-open this Friday, September 15th with limited trail access. Assignment reporter Gabriel Hart spoke to Kevin Wong – the Preserve’s executive director – on what this means for visitors enthused to get back on those trails.
After evaluation visits from Bureau of Land Management and San Bernardino County of Regional Parks, these partners of Big Morongo Preserve stated they would take the lead to repair the rest of the damage, specifically the wreckage of the boardwalk that traverses the Preserve. The Preserve has been told to close sections of the boardwalk, rendering three trails no longer able to complete their usual loops. With the March Trail, the Yucca Ridge Trail, and the Mesquite Trail accessible, they will be compromised as “out and back” paths until further notice. In the meantime, new maps have been printed and will be available at the Preserve’s kiosk upon reopening.
While the Preserve isn’t back to 100%, Wong mentioned the Preserve is greener than ever due to the heavy rains and is encouraging visitors to bask in its verdant glory as repairs continue.
