TL;DR: Los Padres National Forest Order 05-07-51-26-11 closes Monterey Ranger District backcountry from September 26, 2026 through January 31, 2027.

Los Padres National Forest replaced its late-August backcountry shutdown with a longer winter closure for the Timber and Plaskett fire areas. According to Outdoor Unc, Order 05-07-51-26-11 was signed September 25, takes effect September 26, and runs through January 31, 2027 unless the forest lifts or changes it sooner.

The order supersedes the order issued at the end of August, according to Outdoor Unc. The prior shutdown was Forest Order 05-07-51-26-10, signed August 29, 2026, according to HotSpringsFind. That August order shut nearly the entire Monterey Ranger District of Los Padres National Forest, including the Pine Ridge Trail and Sykes Camp, according to HotSpringsFind.

What the new order prohibits

The new Forest Order states it is effective from September 26, 2026, until January 31, 2027. It was executed at Santa Barbara, California on September 25, 2026, by Jeanne Dawson, Deputy Forest Supervisor for Los Padres National Forest.

Three acts are prohibited within Los Padres National Forest to provide for public safety, according to the Forest Order. The first is going into or being upon any National Forest System lands within the Monterey Ranger District Emergency Closure Area, as described in Exhibit A and shown on Exhibit B. The second is being on any National Forest System roads within the area, as described in Exhibit C and shown on Exhibit B. The third is being on any National Forest System trails within the area, as described in Exhibit D and shown on Exhibit B.

The prohibitions cite 36 C.F.R. § 261.53(e) for lands, 36 C.F.R. § 261.54(e) for roads, and 36 C.F.R. § 261.55(a) for trails, according to the Forest Order. The order states the prohibitions are in addition to the general prohibitions in 36 C.F.R. Part 261, Subpart A.

Where the three closure pieces sit

The Monterey Ranger District Emergency Closure Area comprises three non-contiguous components, according to the Forest Order. The components are a Main Emergency Closure Area, a Brazil Ranch Emergency Closure Area, and a Carmel River Station Emergency Closure Area.

According to Outdoor Unc, the closure covers National Forest land in three pieces: the main backcountry area, the Brazil Ranch parcel north of Big Sur, and the Carmel River guard station. Inside them, being on forest land, forest roads or forest trails is prohibited, according to Outdoor Unc.

Exhibit A defines the Main Emergency Closure Area boundary with reference to the National Forest Boundary, Mount Diablo Base Meridian townships and ranges, Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, South Coast Ridge Road, Salmon Creek Trail, Highway 1, Plaskett Ridge Road, Limekiln State Park, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, and Andrew Molera State Park, according to the Forest Order. The order directs readers to Exhibit B for the mapped boundary.

Highway 1 and the state parks are not Forest Service land and are not governed by this order, according to Outdoor Unc. The order's Exhibit B map shows the boundary, according to Outdoor Unc. Travelers planning anything on the coast between Molera and Salmon Creek should check that map and the state parks' own pages, according to Outdoor Unc.

Roads and trails named in the order

The order lists about sixty roads and nearly seventy trails, according to Outdoor Unc. Among the routes people ask about most are Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, Tassajara Road, Arroyo Seco Road beyond the campground entrance, the Coast Ridge roads, and Plaskett Ridge Road, according to Outdoor Unc.

The trail names highlighted by Outdoor Unc include the Pine Ridge, Kirk Creek, Vicente Flat, Cone Peak and Big Sur trails. The Pine Ridge Trail and Sykes Camp in the Ventana Wilderness were included in the August district-wide closure, according to HotSpringsFind.

The Forest Order places Nacimiento-Fergusson Road as Forest Road 22S01 in its Main Emergency Closure Area description. It places South Coast Ridge Road as Forest Road 20S05.6 in the same description. It places Salmon Creek Trail as Forest Trail 6E11 in the same description. It places Plaskett Ridge Road as Forest Road 23S02.4 in the same description.

Forest visitors can check the Los Padres National Forest Current Conditions page for Forest-Wide Alerts, closure orders, trail status, road status, and area restrictions. The Current Conditions page directs major-wildfire followers to InciWeb for updates.

Why the closure runs through January

The closure covers the Timber and Plaskett fire areas, according to Outdoor Unc. Both fires are on Los Padres National Forest, according to Outdoor Unc.

The Monterey Bay Air Resources District reported September 22, 2026 that the Timber Fire was 25,436 acres and 59% contained. The same September 22 update reported the Plaskett Fire was 29,993 acres and 97% contained. Crews were monitoring the perimeter, strengthening containment and contingency lines, and directly engaging hot spots when safe, according to the Monterey Bay Air Resources District.

The Plaskett Fire was 97% contained with suppression repair continuing, including erosion-prevention measures and ongoing patrols, according to the Monterey Bay Air Resources District. Residents could still see smoke from unburned vegetation within the fire perimeter, according to the Monterey Bay Air Resources District. Favorable weather conditions were expected to support firefighting efforts throughout that week, according to the Monterey Bay Air Resources District.

According to KSBW, the Timber Fire began Aug. 8 and had burned 25,513 acres and was 59% contained as of Friday, September 25. According to Outdoor Unc, the Timber Fire started August 9 and had reached 25,443 acres at 59% containment, with 704 personnel still assigned as of mapping done that morning. The Plaskett Fire started August 26, reached 29,993 acres and was 97% contained, according to Outdoor Unc.

Evacuations, patrols and suppression repair

More than a month and a half after the Timber Fire started in the Big Sur area, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office lifted several evacuation warnings, according to KSBW. The update was published at 2:37 PM PDT September 25, 2026, according to KSBW.

The Sheriff's Office lifted evacuation warnings for zones MRY-F023-A, MRY-F025, MRY-F028-B, MRY-F028-C, MRY-F030-B, MRY-F031-B, MRY-F032-B and MRY-D088, according to KSBW. Several evacuation warnings and orders remained in place, according to KSBW. Officials had not said when the remaining warnings and orders could be lifted, according to KSBW.

Firefighters continued to make good progress on the Timber Fire, with crews focused on securing the remaining fire edge and transitioning into suppression-repair operations, according to KSBW, citing CAL FIRE. Along the southern portion, suppression-repair work was underway along North Coast Ridge Road, according to KSBW, citing CAL FIRE. Crews were also continuing efforts to secure and strengthen fire lines along the Highway 1 corridor, according to KSBW, citing CAL FIRE.

The Plaskett Fire, also burning in the Big Sur area, was 97% contained as of that Friday and had burned more than 30,000 acres, according to KSBW. The Plaskett Fire began in late August and was nearly contained, according to KSBW. No evacuation warnings or orders were currently in place for that fire, according to KSBW.

Who is exempt and what violations cost

Three groups are exempt under 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e), according to the Forest Order. The first group is any Federal, State, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or fire-fighting force in the performance of an official duty.

The second group is owners, lessees, or residents of private land within the Monterey Ranger District Emergency Closure Area, to the extent necessary to access their land, according to the Forest Order. That access exception does not apply when the area is under evacuation order by the Monterey County Sheriff or California Office of Emergency Management, according to the Forest Order.

The third group is persons with Forest Service Permit No. FS-7700-48, specifically exempting them from the order, according to the Forest Order. According to Outdoor Unc, exempt persons include fire and rescue crews and officers on duty, landowners and residents getting to their own property unless an evacuation order is in place, and people holding a Forest Service permit that names them.

A violation is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both, according to the Forest Order. Entering the closed area is a violation punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, according to HotSpringsFind. Violations carry fines up to $5,000 for an individual, according to Outdoor Unc.

How to stay legal and ready through winter

Check the forest's own alert page before committing to a route, according to Outdoor Unc. Both fires are logged on the interagency incident system with daily updates, according to Outdoor Unc. Residents were encouraged to stay aware of evacuation zones and forest closure information, according to the Monterey Bay Air Resources District.

The Los Padres National Forest Current Conditions page states that emergency response times are longer in remote and rural locations than in urban settings. The same page states there can be little to no cell reception in many parts of the forest. The page advises visitors to identify emergency resources before a trip.

The Current Conditions page also addresses campfire permits, fees, and passes. Campfire permits are required for campfires, charcoal fires, or portable gas stoves outside designated recreation sites, according to the Current Conditions page. Adventure Passes and America the Beautiful Passes are not required anywhere on the Monterey Ranger District, according to the Current Conditions page. Parking at all Monterey trailheads is free except at Pine Ridge Trail parking at Big Sur Station, where the fee is $10 per night, according to the Current Conditions page.

A containment figure is not a reopening, and a reopening is not a return to how it was, according to Outdoor Unc. Burned slopes above trails shed rock, root-burned trees fall without warning in the first winter storms, and drainages that carried a trickle can move debris after the first serious rain, according to Outdoor Unc.

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