Rockslides triggered by the Ridgecrest quakes and recent seismic activity has closed portions of Pacific Ridge Trail near Lake Isabella, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

Three sections of the state's most popular trail are buried under tons of boulders, rock and dirt from the steep, stony slopes of the Owens Peak ridgeline, approximately eight miles north of Walker Pass in Kern County.

The buried section can't be traveled by horseback, north of Walker Pass, where the trail crosses State Route 178 near Lake Isabella. Hikers are urged to use extreme caution when traversing the rocky terrain, as the unstable rocks can shift at any time, authorities said.

Debris removal from the 100-foot rockslide will begin in late September. There is no timeframe for when the trail will be cleared and the hillside stabilized, the bureau stated.

Seismic activity continues in the area and recreationists may experience more rockfalls and hazards along the trail and farther north for roughly 20 miles.

To avoid the 25-mile damaged Owens Peak section, southbound hikers can exit the trail at the Chimney Creek Campground via car by taking Canebrake Road, also known as the Chimney Peak Backcountry Byway, eastward to State Route 178 to get back on the trail at Walker Pass.

The Pacific Crest Trail spans the highest portion of the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range, stretching 2,650 miles from the U.S.–Mexico border to the U.S. –Canada border, passing through 25 national forests and seven national parks in California, Oregon and Washington.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of hikers use the trail — portions of which run through Tulare County and Kings Canyon National Park.

Few actually complete the country-spanning trek.

The Pacific Crest Trail was designated by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. The long-distance hiking and equestrian trail was not officially completed until 1993.

Joshua Yeager covers water, agriculture, parks and housing for the Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register newspapers. Follow him on Twitter @VTD_Joshy. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.