I’ve hiked the Sam Merrill Trail more times than I can count. Echo Mountain. Mount Lowe. The old incline railway grade that reminds you California used to dream bigger than it does now. These aren’t just trails to me – they’re places I’ve carried memories into and brought new ones out of every single time.
They’re closed. All of them. The Eaton Fire saw to that.
Effective January 7, 2026, the Angeles National Forest has closed a significant chunk of the front range above Altadena through December 31, 2027. The closure covers roads and trails that generations of Southern Californians have been walking, riding, and exploring for over a hundred years.
Closed roads:
- Mount Wilson Toll Road (below Mt. Wilson Trail)
- Mount Wilson Toll Road (below Henniger Flats)
- Mount Wilson Road at Henniger Flats
Closed trails:
- Idlehour Trail
- Castle Canyon Trail
- Sam Merrill Trail (Lower, Middle, and Upper)
- Echo Mountain Trail
- Mount Lowe West Trail
- Mount Lowe Trail (East)
I’m not going to argue with the closure itself. Post-fire terrain is legitimately dangerous – unstable slopes, falling snags, debris flows – and the Forest Service isn’t wrong to keep people out while recovery and assessment work is underway. That part I understand.
What I can’t get past is that we keep having this conversation. Every few years another fire, another closure, another beloved piece of California backcountry that takes years to come back. And every time, the people making land management decisions seem surprised – as if fire in Southern California chaparral is some kind of news.
It isn’t. It never has been. The people who actually work this land – the rangers, the trail crews, the volunteers who show up on weekends with pulaskis and brush hooks – they know exactly what needs to happen to reduce fire risk. More active management, more prescribed burns done right, more boots on the ground year-round. What they don’t always have is the budget, the political will, or the freedom from regulatory overreach to actually do it.
So we lose trails like Echo Mountain and Sam Merrill for two years while the hillside recovers from something that was, in many cases, preventable.
If you’re planning to hike in the Altadena area, check the Angeles National Forest alerts page before you go. Boundaries can shift as recovery progresses and some areas may reopen earlier than others. The Forest Service contact is (626) 574-1613.
And while you’re waiting for these trails to reopen – maybe think about volunteering. The Angeles needs hands on the ground a lot more than it needs opinions from people who’ve never left the pavement.
More info: Eaton Fire Closures