October 1, 2013 (San Diego’s East County)–Due to the lapse in federal government funding, the U.S. Forest Service, as with other federal agencies, is closed with the exception of certain essential services. The Cleveland National Forest offices as well as some recreational areas will be closed until further notice. The entire U.S. Forest Service website and other federal websites are offline due to the spending bill impasse in Congress. Shutdown of U.S. Forest Service activities does not impact firefighting on forest lands, however.

The following will be closed, including popular sites in East County:

Descanso Ranger District

· All developed recreation sites will be closed due to furlough.

· No facilities or recreation amenities will be provided during this time.

· All of the Corral Canyon OHV area will be closed during the furlough.

Palomar Ranger District

· Observatory Campground

· Fry Creek Campground

· Crestline Campground

· Oak Grove Campground

· Dripping Springs Campground

· Indian Flats Campground

· San Luis Rey Picnic Area

· Inaja Picnic Area

· San Diego River Gorge Trailhead

· Kika Mik Overlook

· Dripping Springs Trailhead

Trabuco Ranger District

· Blue Jay Campground

· California Wildland Firefighter Memorial

· El Cariso Campground

· El Cariso South Picnic Area

· Falcon Campground

· Wildomar Campground

· Wildomar Staging Area

These additional locations will remain open, but will have restrooms and/or water wells closed:

· San Juan Loop Trailhead

· Hot Springs Trailhead

· Tenaja Trailhead

In addition, Bureau of Land Mangement properties such as McCain Valley are also officially closed.

For general information on Forest Service shutdown procedures, please visit USDA’s website at http://www.usda.gov/.