California finishes Turtle Rock Park clean-up

Less than a year after the Tamarack Fire burned through Turtle Rock Park Campground, debris removal operations managed by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services have reached completion.

Turtle Rock Park has been turned back over to Alpine County marking the end of the state’s debris removal.

In total, state-contracted crews removed more than 95.2 tons of debris generated by the Tamarack Fire. Included among the 95.2 tons of debris removed were 4.85 tons of burned metal, 45 tons of burned concrete, 19.5 tons of ash and debris and 25.89 tons of soil.

"Turtle Rock Park is an important recreational wonderland to Markleeville residents and tourists, having attracted hikers, bikers, disc golf enthusiasts, and everything in between,” said Ryan Buras, Deputy Director of Recovery Operations for Cal OES. “Thanks to the state recovery team’s hard work of removing wildfire debris, the park is steps closer to reopening and inviting back valuable recreation enthusiasts.”

In recent years, Turtle Rock Park has served as the starting point for several cycling races, including the 103-mile Death Ride.

Just days before hundreds of elite cyclists were to descend on Turtle Rock Park for the start of the July 17, 2021, Tour of the California Alps, the campground found itself in the path of the lightning-sparked Tamarack Fire. The fire, which raged out of control for weeks in the rugged mountains straddling the California-Nevada border, ended up burning more than 68,000 acres.

Some metal and concrete waste from the park was recycled, helping to save limited landfill space and allowing for the material to be beneficially reused.