It is spring in the San Gabriel Mountains and even the Poison Oak is in bloom:
Be Careful out there!
The Mount Wilson Toll Road Is Still Closed
This sign is posted at the lower end of the Mount Wilson Toll Road:
It says below the graffitti “Closed Due To Landslide” which is no longer true. What it should say is: The Toll Road is closed due to the County Board of Supervisors Failure to Clear the Landslide.
If this slide had closed an important trail into the Santa Monica Mountains where the rich people live would it have taken more than two years to reopen?
Cut a safe hiking trail through the slide area before someone dies.
I wrote these Four reason why the trail should be reopened in January of 2006 and sent them to the Board of Supervisors. The reasons are still valid and nothing has been done.
Write an email to Mike Antonovich at fifthdistrict@bos.co.la.ca.us and let him know that you want the trail reopened. Or click on comments below and I will forward your comments to him.
The slide is in county administered land
Help me put some pressure on Mike Antonovich to reopen this important hiking trail.
Four Important Reasons to Reopen the Mount Wilson Toll Road Trail
1. Safety
People are going to hike in the foothills anyway. That they have already made a trail across the big slide by the bridge is evidence of this. Having relatively safe trails for them to hike on will help avoid injuries, reduce evacuations and possibly save lives.
2. Fire
Fire fighters need vehicular access to the foothills to be able to suppress fires before they reach population centers.
3. Activities
Henniger Flats is one of the few good camping and picnicking places within a day hike of the San Gabriel Valley. Its existence allows generations of young people to learn the pleasure of hiking and camping. It helps to build a constituency for the environment.
4. Historic Significance
LA County has a large investment in the facilities at Henniger Flats. Not reopening the trail means that over time these facilities will be abandoned, vandalized and eventually burned down. The people who took the decision not to keep the trail open will not be remembered well by history.
A Modest Proposal
Bulldoze and grade in a 4 foot wide ATV trail to Henniger Flats on the existing right of way. It will be dramatically less expensive than rebuilding a full width road. It will allow the transportation of personnel and supplies to the facilities at Henniger and will be adequate for horses, bicycles and hikers. It should as in the past only be open for official vehicles. This is definitely a case where less is more.
If ATV’s had existed when the Toll Road was built in 1914 it would have been built for them not automobiles.
The County Supervisors have an opportunity to redefine the way we access the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains in a cost effective way that will positively enhance the lives of many people and communities.