Remember that you might be dealing with a hazard or a wildfire before officials know about it. Trust your gut. Don’t wait for an official closure of the area. Act. Stay out of closed areas. Public lands and the PCT close due to forest fires, extreme fire danger, landslides, to protect endangered or threated species or cultural sites, or any number of other reasons. Closures are implemented by the government, not PCTA. The main land management agencies along the PCT include the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and California State Parks.

Sometimes when a closure was caused by an isolated event like a rockslide, the closure may only be in effect until a crew can clear the trail. Other closures, such as those meant to protect sensitive wildlife habitat, can last for years. When a closure is caused by a wildfire, the trail can remain closed for a long time after the fire is 100% contained. The PCTA and land management agencies are working to minimize the hazards that the fire created. It can be a lot of hard work and take a while. Thanks for your understanding and patience. We'd love to have you as part of our volunteer program if you'd like to help. Do not expect that closed areas will always be signed. Signage takes time and resources, people tear down signs, and public lands are vast, so signs everywhere is not always possible. It is your responsibility to proactively check agency websites and PCTA's database of closed areas regularly. With that, please do read signs you pass, especially trailhead information boards, as they may contain critical information.

Obey closures. Always.

Walking into a closure area is illegal. Entering a closed area is a serious offense with the potential for significant consequences. Don’t put law enforcement, firefighters, or search and rescue crews in danger. Trail users in a closure area can trigger costly agency responses, diverting personnel and resources from actual emergencies like fighting fire. We make every effort to warn trail users of a trail closure and/or detour ahead, but this is not always possible. Trail users who come upon an unexpected closure need to be prepared to handle the situation. That's an essential part of wilderness travel.

What to know about wildfire closures

You might not understand the logic of closure boundaries, but there is detailed planning and science behind it. Officials consider the current fire, terrain, conditions, the projected growth of the fire, the resources available, the evacuation routes and other things. Professional wildland firefighters know their craft – trust their expertise.

Being in a closed area is extremely hazardous, even when flames are not nearby. Wind can suddenly change direction, rapidly transporting smoke and fire. Spot fires from flying embers can ignite miles away from the main fire. Smoke can get so thick that it eliminates visibility and makes breathing impossible. Retardant chemicals can be dropped from aircraft without warning. After the main fire has passed, hot spots can travel and linger underground for months, creating trap-door-like charcoal pits. Burned trees and limbs can break and fall at any time. When deciding to close an area of the forest, authorities weigh all these hazards. Firefighters are fighting a wildfire – they don’t need the distraction of dealing with you in the closure area. It’s an emergency. Let them work without needing to divert resources (employees and helicopters) toward tracking you down, keeping you safe and getting you arrested. After a wildfire, land managers may keep an area closed for weeks or even years because of unstable hillsides or burned trees that are in danger of falling across trails or into campsites. Sometimes, the trail can be obliterated by a fire. If a retaining wall has fallen down the mountain, you might find an impassable slope. It can take years to clear or rebuild sections like that.