We were on Usal Road a few weeks ago and were planning to drive all the way to Shelter Cove for the weekend until we came to this road closure about a mile past Usal Beach. It's still a great drive from Highway 1 to Usal Beach and you can drive all the way down to the beach. On the Shelter Cove end of the road, it's closed about a mile in. We did drive Kings Peak Road, Saddle Mountain Road and King Range Road. Prosper Ridge Road down to Mattole Beach is also open. We didn't drive Paradise Ridge Road but it looks like it's open. There might even be snow on Kings Range Road after all the rain we got this week. Just thought I'd pass this info along to anyone thinking about driving Usal Road. And to anyone who hasn't been on Usal Road and/or the Shelter Cove area, this is some of the most beautiful country and remote coastline in California! Shelter Cove is a great community that has lodging, a couple of restaurants and general stores, fuel and other services. Definately one of my favorite places!



Sorry, these are the only pics I have on my iPhone, I need to post the rest from my camera.

 

Wish they had those kinda roads & views over here on the East Coast in Jersey. I mean, we have some scenic overlooks, but not like Cali.... thanks for the great pics.

 

What's the elevation of that road?

CA has seasonal road closures for unpaved roads above 5000' elevation from 1/1 through 4/1 each year, though those dates could be extended. You are still allowed to drive on paved roads (even if unplowed) during that time however.

 

Just curious, why do they do that? Close the roads from those dates at that elevation?

 

I won't use this forum to express my displeasure with some of our state's perspectives.

The state enacted the closures for environemental protection against uncessary erosion.

 

I'm not sure about the Monterey closure because it's on the coast and only about 1000' elevation.

 

So, they think/say that if you drive on the roads, it will cause, or should I say "speed up" the erosion? Thats sorta what I'm getting when I read what you wrote? But why in those months? haha.... very odd....

 

I think the highest elevation of Usal Road is like 3300 or 3500 feet. The road was open last year during the winter and it was hella muddy, but I was talking to a BLM Ranger that weekend and he told me that the road was going to be closed during winter months because there's too many people in motorhomes, trucks with large campers and trailers trying to drive the road thinking it's a shortcut to and from Highway 1, getting stuck, having to be towed out, trying to back up and turn around and blocking the road, that kinda stuff, even though both ends of the road have impassable in winter signs and it's more than obvious that it's an uninproved single lane dirt road. It sounds like it just became a huge pain in the ass to keep going out and pulling people off this narrow winding road. This place is really remote and if you needed to get towed outta there it would take hours just to get the tow truck out to where you're at. People that own property along the road have a key to open the gates but they know how to drive that road no matter how bad it gets.

 

This road isn't in Monterey County, it's about six hours North of us between Fort Bragg and Eureka.

 

The Forest Service is closing our trails until June 15!