Angeles Crest Highway damage affects PCT

Los Angeles Times reporter Jaclyn Cosgrove used a hike along Angeles Crest Highway to show how a road closure is changing access to part of the Pacific Crest Trail in the San Gabriel Mountains on May 21. Her route passed Buckhorn Campground, Cloudburst Summit and a 6,000-foot snow play area, landmarks that now sit inside a corridor shaped by washouts, detours and long stretches without normal vehicle access. Caltrans says the closure on State Route 2, also known as Angeles Crest Highway, runs from 3.3 miles east of Newcomb’s Ranch to Big Pines Highway and affects nearly 30 miles of the road. The agency says crews are carrying out three emergency repair projects after storm damage that included washouts, rockfalls, landslides, debris flows and roadway erosion. (latimes.com) ### Where is the road closure, exactly? Caltrans says the shut section covers a long central stretch of SR-2 inside Angeles National Forest. The agency says there is no anticipated timeline yet for completing assessments or reopening the highway. The transportation agency says crews have identified about 40 locations that need repair, and that number could rise as inspections continue. (dot.ca.gov) Some sections remain temporarily inaccessible because of washouts, Caltrans says, and the work includes slope stabilization, shoulder reconstruction, erosion control and temporary traffic measures. ### How does that affect Pacific Crest Trail access? (dot.ca.gov) The Pacific Crest Trail itself remains a hiking and equestrian route through the Angeles National Forest, but the road damage changes how people reach trailheads and camp areas in this segment. The Forest Service’s Angeles page lists PCT access points including Inspiration Point, Islip Saddle and other sites, while directing visitors to closure information for specific trail segments. (dot.ca.gov) Cloudburst Summit is one of the key access points in this section. A trail reference for the area shows the PCT meeting Highway 2 at Cloudburst Summit and then following the highway corridor for about five miles before turning north again near Horse Flats Road. ### Why do Buckhorn Campground and Cloudburst Summit keep coming up? Buckhorn Campground and Cloudburst Summit are practical markers because they sit near common approaches to the Angeles segment of the PCT. (fs.usda.gov) A current campground listing for Cooper Canyon says access is via a 2.5-mile hike from Cloudburst Summit or the Burkhart Trailhead at Buckhorn, and notes that CA-2 is closed from Islip Saddle to Vincent Gap while Cloudburst Summit remains reachable from the Los Angeles side. (pickatrail.com) The Forest Service’s recreation page also lists a “6,000 (PCT Trailhead)” site as open, alongside other PCT access points in the forest. That helps explain why Cosgrove’s account used the 6,000-foot snow play area and nearby stops as reference points for what hikers can still reach and what now requires rerouting on foot. ### Is this a trail closure or a road-access problem? (campflare.com) The clearest official description is a road-access problem, not a new PCT-wide closure. Caltrans’ project page is about storm repairs on SR-2, while the Pacific Crest Trail Association maintains a separate closures map for trail-specific alerts. The Angeles National Forest does list some separate trail-area restrictions, including a Williamson Rock area closure through December 31, 2026, that may affect hikers and equestrians along the PCT. (fs.usda.gov) But that order is distinct from the highway damage corridor described by Caltrans and in the Los Angeles Times report. ### Where should hikers check before they go? Caltrans says its SR-2 winter storm repairs page carries the latest project information, including the closure limits and repair status. (dot.ca.gov) Angeles National Forest posts alerts on its website, and the Pacific Crest Trail Association maintains a closures page for trail-specific conditions. As of May 22, Caltrans still says there is no reopening timeline for the nearly 30-mile closure, and the Forest Service continues to list PCT access and separate forest orders online. (fs.usda.gov) (dot.ca.gov)