Now that winter is in full effect and there are feet of snow on the ground, this thread isnt so important. I want to get in the habit of having a single place to go for current trail info. I will update this thread as trails start to open up. If anyone has questions about another trail in another national forest, let me know and I will add it to the list of trails to monitor.
Currently all local forests are in winter closure mode. Open trails, such as mormon immigrant, are labeled on the individual forest OHV use maps. Below is some detail on the individual forests and their planned opening dates. Note that a forest order may be used to extend a seasonal closure if there is still snow on the ground.
El Dorado National Forest - (closest to us, includes our trail). Seasonal closure is in effect until at least March 31st. Details on main routes can be found at the link below. FS updates occasionally. EDNF also has a twitter that is regularly updated with info on Mormon Immigrant Trail.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/eldorado/home/?cid=fsbdev7_019037
Tahoe National Forest - (north of EDNF, includes fordyce and signal peak). Seasonal closure in effect until at least March 31st. Details on main routes can be found at the link below. Highway 80 section is probably most relevant. This FS office is terrible at updating their site. When in doubt, use the info on the maps about closures.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tahoe/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5299395
Rubicon Trail - (the trails is a county road so it is subject to a totally different management structure). The trail is open most of the year but does close during work, events, and big storms. The link below is the county conditions report that is the best way to know if it is open. Though the trail doesnt close over winter, it is impassible for most rigs until about may due to snow. A winter crossing (when there is snow) requires big tires, lots of digging, lots of winching, ~250ft of winch line extensions, tons of extra fuel, etc. The pirate4x4 link is the best place for up to date trail info.
https://www.edcgov.us/Government/Rubicon/Trail_Conditions_Update/Rubicon_Trail_Current_Condition_Updates.aspx
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/29-rubicon-trail/
Tahoe Basin Management Unit - (all areas near tahoe, ellis peak, blackwood canyon, genoa peak ) Seasonal closure in effect. Re-opening date vary trail to trail. Most open on either May 15 or June 1. The link below lists the closure dates for campgrounds and halfway down the page trails and roads are listed. There is no good place to get info on conditions since this FS office just closes everything seasonally.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/cs/detail/!ut/p/z1/jVDLCsIwEPyaHOMuvhBvvYn4OKk1F0k1xmhMym4rfr6FivRQq3PbYR7sgIIUVNAPZ3XhYtC-uvdqfOhjjWSC69lsu-ov3wTCrlWwXXwE6h8_fkHyp79DoLrjd6BaK5of_MqYg7I-ZvVcScgGEwuKzNmQoV5JFX0pinwqUGAemc3wOexFsgLPkcq7QGuCIe1lxcuT42PJXK0vkKI-yaOPXJJhmWvrgpU3ciywrekSuYC02QD5fbNJ8Tryj0XyAn1qG_I!/dz/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/?position=Feature.Art_ContentLnk&pname=Lake%2520Tahoe%2520Basin%2520Mgt%2520Unit-%2520Home&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&ss=110519&navid=091000000000000&ttype=detail&cid=STELPRDB5291839
Stanislaus National Forest - (south of EDNF, slickrock trail and southern end of deer valley trail) Seasonal Closure in effect. Trails re-open on April 15. Below is a link to the conditions and access to various campgrounds and sites within the forest. This office is terrible about updating conditions but doesnt like to extend closures so if the map indicates somehting is open, it likely is.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/stanislaus/recreation
