Faith Valley in Alpine County on Friday morning.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
A closure order is in effect through Oct. 31, for the Faith Valley Meadow area dispersed camping sites on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest’s Carson Ranger District near the junction of California State Route 88 and 89 and adjacent to Blue Lakes Road in Alpine County. The closure was issued to ensure public and contractor safety as work on the Faith Valley Road Restoration Project starts.
Contractors with American Rivers, in partnership with the Carson Ranger District, have closed Faith Valley Road (Forest Service Road 31081) and the surrounding area for the public’s and construction worker's safety while the road is being repaired, upgraded, and graded. A constant stream of dump trucks will enter at the Southern end of the dirt road, dumping material within the road system, and exit at a Northern point of the system road, which will impede traffic and the progress of the work.
“For everyone’s safety, it is extremely important to stay out of the closed area and not remove or vandalize posted signage,” explained Carson Ranger District Recreation Officer Brian Hansen. “Dispersed camping is still allowed along the Blue Lakes Road corridor, just not in the areas signed as closed.”
The Faith Valley Restoration project is entering phase two of work. The Forest Service in collaboration with American Rivers, is conducting a restoration project installing Beaver Dam analogs along the river to address the incision of the stream corridor back to more natural conditions. This serves to restore some water flow into the adjacent wetlands, with the expectation of improving conditions. As part of the project, some recreation impacts are being addressed. Namely, the road (Faith Valley Rd.) into the dispersed camp area is being restored achieving improved recreation experiences in this popular recreation area.
