Just in time for Labor Day weekend, a 10-mile stretch of scenic Angeles Crest Highway is reopening to the public after being closed for years due to storm damage.<\/p>\n
Heavy rains during the back-to-back stormy winters of 2022 and 2023 triggered slope failures and rock slides, and collapsed pavement along the road \u2014 also known as Highway 2, which runs alongside Angeles National Forest.<\/p>\n
Further damage followed in September 2024, when the Bridge fire burned sections of Angeles National Forest and raged across the highway. <\/p>\n
New guardrails, retaining walls, erosion control and drainage systems were put in place<\/a> to address the destruction. However, the stretch of highway between Islip Saddle and Vincent Gulch continued to be closed until Friday.<\/p>\n The total cost of repairs was approximately $7.9 million, officials said. <\/p>\n In a Q&A<\/a> on its website, the California Department of Transportation said the closure \u201ctook so long\u201d due to inspectors having to evaluate the area in person, and that conditions were constantly changing with the weather.<\/p>\n Angeles Crest Highway connects to many popular hiking trails, including Vincent Gulch and Mt. Baden-Powell.<\/p>\n \u201cFor some, taking the long way around could have not been an option for them. It could be too long to walk, too time-consuming or too expensive for the gas,\u201d said Jeff Hester, a hiker and creator of the SoCal Six-Pack of Peaks hiking challenge<\/a>. \u201cA lot of people really enjoyed that drive and being able to explore places that they might not have seen otherwise. Having that reopened gives them access to that again.\u201d <\/p>\n Besides increased access, some predict that the reopening will help reduce littering and overcrowding.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reopening of these trails are huge for the hiking community in terms of access,\u201d said Justin Rimon, founder of the L.A.-based outdoor group Just Trek. \u201cAlso, this stretch of the Angeles Crest Highway that\u2019s open, it not only opens more trails, but I think it\u2019ll help reduce congestion at some of the most popular trailheads. Because for a long time, people were going to the same trailheads because of this closure and it was getting really overcrowded.\u201d <\/p>\n Members of the local hiking community said they were relieved to see this stretch of the highway, though there were some concerns around the timing. <\/p>\n