Californians looking to visiting many of the state’s national forests have to wait until at least mid September to do so. The USDA Forest Service ordered a closure of all national forests in the Pacific Southwest region of California Monday (August 29) due to ongoing wildfires. The closure went into effect at 11:59 last night (August 31) and will remain in effect through the same time Friday, September 17. The closure comes as a way of protecting visitors from becoming trapped during a wildfire emergency. National parks, such as Joshua Tree National Park, fall under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service and are unaffected by the closure. The order does, however, include the nearby San Bernardino National forest.
