House of Representatives appropriations bill to offer money for shuttle system to forest area. Nearly
$1 million will provide for project to local areas. US Forest Service planning a shuttle to Chantry Flat, a
forest site north of Arcadia and Sierra Madre, that links to trails and Sturtevant Falls.
Damage saps fun from Angeles forest. Angeles National Forest's Chantry Flat Road remains closed after suffering damage from the 2020 Bobcat fire and subsequent fires. Storms and fires force closure of trails, roads and campgrounds, some for years. The forest's second-most visited area, Chantry Flat, in the section north of Arcadia, Monrovia and Sierra Madre, has been closed since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. A sign in Arcadia (photo) advises motorists of the Chantry Flat Road closure.
Chantry Flat Road, also known as Santa Anita Canyon Road, will reopen to the public on Wednesday, April 16, despite unfinished repairs. Fire in the Santa Anita Canyon had forced a 6-month closure of the road.
Nearly all of region's national forest areas, including the Angeles, Los Padres, San Bernardino and Cleveland national forests, reopened yesterday, one week after the expiration of the California regional closure. The forests also lowered their fire danger level from critical to extreme, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The closure order was issued August 31 in response to statewide wildfires. Although the majority of the Angeles National Forest will reopen, a significant part will remain closed due to the 2020 Bobcat fire. The closure order for Angeles National Forest has been in place since September 2020 and remains in effect until April, to allow for affected areas to recover from the 100,000-plus-acre Bobcat Fire. Still closed are Chantry Flat Picnic Area and Buckhorn Campground.
Huge California conservation bill heads to vote in Congress today. The Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act, or House Resolution 803, seeks to preserve 1 million acres of public land in California. Part of it is the San Gabriel Mountains and Rivers Protection Act, authored by Rep. Judy Chu-D. to extend the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument designation by adding 109,143 acres of the western front-facing Angeles National Forest. This includes popular hiking areas within Chantry Flat, located just north of Arcadia.
Due to construction of new headquarters buildings, the adjacent road and visitor parking at the Forest Service office at 701 N. Santa Anita Avenue, will be closed to public visits beginning March 26 until about May 7.
Workers use earth-moving equipment to shore up Chantry Flat Road, which has been closed for over a year due to mudslides. The road may re-open at the end of September.
President Biden sending official to hear public views on the proposed expansion of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. Chantry Flat, a hiking and picnic spot north of Arcadia and Sierra Madre, closed for several years, is proposed for inclusion in the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
Santa Anita Canyon Road, aka Chantry Flat Road, has been jointly owned by Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, and Los Angeles County for years. The 3-mile mountain road that leads to the Angeles National Forest will be turned over to Los Angeles County if the cities pay to fix it up. Arcadia and Sierra Madre have completed their repairs and are waiting for Monrovia to start a roughly $500,000 project.
A shuttle service with Chinese-speaking drivers will begin in November between San Gabriel Valley, including Arcadia, and the LA International Airport.
Seven months after Chantry Flat Road was closed at night, the noise that bothered residents and the injuries from auto accidents have virtually ceased.