A new much shorter Station Fire Detour goes into effect May 7th. The 4.6 mile detour begins west of Pacifico Mountain [mile 413.3], bypassing 5.4 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail destroyed by the 2009 Station Fire. This detour replaces the 47 mile detour used by PCT hikers in 2010. Detour maps are available here.
The forest service requests hiker camp only at Sulphur Spring Campground [mile 407.1], Messenger Flat Campground [mile 430.6], or North Fork Ranger Station [mile 436.3] while in the burn area.
The Endangered Species Detour is back
With more of the forest open this year, the endangered species detour to protect the endangered mountain yellow-legged frog is back. This closure has been in effect for several years but the PCTA will have a new 18.2 mile detour route for 2011, bypassing 7.8 miles of the PCT beginning at Islip Saddle [mile 386.2].
The new endangered species detour drops down to South Fork, travels west past Devils Punchbowl and rejoins the PCT by hiking south on the Burkhart trail.
The old endangered species detour that is printed on Halfmile’s maps and on some versions of the Water Report [walking on Highway 2 from Eagles Roost then cutting through the Buckhorn Campground on the Burkhart trail] is probably still legal, but with the pending reopening of Highway 2, hikers will face dangerous traffic walking on the two-lane highway. Parts of Highway 2 have been closed for most of the last six years, first from a rockslide near Mount Baden Powell, later from landslides after the Station Fire. Once Highway 2 reopens it will likely have heavy traffic from Los Angles making it dangerous for hikers.