Boulders Blocking Section Of Pacific Crest Trail In San Jacinto Mountains Blasted Away
SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA) — Rockfall that had been blocking the famous Pacific Crest Trail in the San Jacinto Mountains have been blasted away, clearing the section of trail that's been blocked for two years.
Video of the mountain blast was released this week, and Forest Service officials confirmed the boulders had been cleared.
"The rock is gone and the trail is passable," Anitra Kass with the Pacific Crest Trail Association said in a statement. "Further work will need to be done. As of now, the trail is not stock appropriate."
A crew from the American Conservation Experience had worked to restore the tread in the blast area before it was packed out by volunteers from the Redshank Riders Unit of the Backcountry Horsemen of California.
A frost heave had caused the boulders to fall on Mile 172 of the trail in May of 2019. The rock fall had been 10 feet high and covered a 12-by-12-foot section of the famous Canada-to-Mexico scenic trail. Hikers traversing the nearly 2,700-mile trail had been forced to swing around the rock with the help of ropes and over a steep drop during the two years it blocked the trail.
The Pacific Crest Trail is nearly 2,700 miles long and stretches from the Canadian border to the Mexico border.