Forest Service Issues Temporary Partial Closure of Alpine Pedal Path

SAN BERNARDINO>> The San Bernardino National Forest began an immediate partial closure of the Alpine Pedal Path for bridge replacement along the center of the path. The partial closure began Wednesday, Oct. 19 and will continue through November 2016. The Juniper Point Picnic Area and the eastern and western access points to the path will remain open and accessible. Trail users should plan their use around this partial closure by traveling to the closure location and then returning to their starting point. The bridge replacement is the first step in a number of activities that will be occurring over the next year to improve the recreational experience of users. A multi-funded partnership developed between the US Forest Service, the City of Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Municipal Water District, Southern CA Mountains Foundation and California Land Management will fund widening the path to 12 feet, installing interpretive signage and paving to connect the path to the Meadow’s Edge Picnic Area. If you have questions about this temporary closure on the Mountaintop Ranger District, please call or write Jeremy Dorsey at 909-382-2837 or jdorsey02@fs.fed.us The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation's clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.