Mendocino National Forest
Stonyford Office Hours Temporary Change
Starting Jan. 19, the Stonyford Office will be open to the public on Thursdays and Fridays only. Our regular Monday-Friday schedule will resume on Feb. 9.
Road conditions
Please be advised that forest roads are NOT plowed or maintained in winter so driving conditions are hazardous, slippery, and may be impassable. Even with good snow tires and four-wheel drive, less than a foot of snow is enough to get a vehicle stuck!
M10 Road Construction
The M10 road will be closed Monday, Nov. 17- 20, 2025. Closure location is above Fouts Springs near Dixie Glade. Main impacts are to the Letts Lake basin on Grindstone Ranger District. Detour to get to Letts Lake is via the M5 and 17N02 Roads, high clearance vehicle recommended.
Trail 34 on Upper Lake District closed due to unsafe conditions
OHV Trail 34 is closed due to trail tread degradation and rutting that runs 300 feet down the trail. The trail is unsafe due to unstable soil, extremely muddy conditions and increased runoff.
Cedar Camp Campground Closure
Cedar Camp Campground is closed for public safety. Closure is in effect through 6/18/26.
Chico Seed Orchard Public Use and Access Closure
Pets must be on a leash. Fall/winter hours are 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. beginning Nov. 1. Spring/summer hours are 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. A closure is in effect outside of these hours.
Overview
Mendocino National Forest is a 927,650-acre forest located in the North Coast Range of northwestern California, approximately 3 hours north of San Francisco and Sacramento. The forest is currently open but with significant operational considerations. Wet weather trail closures are currently in effect on both the Upper Lake District (since Dec. 20, 2025) and Grindstone District (since Dec. 23, 2025), restricting OHV trail use when 2+ inches of rain fall within 24 hours or soils become saturated. Forest roads are NOT plowed, making driving conditions hazardous and potentially impassable even with 4WD and snow tires. Critical to note: nearly 90% of the forest has burned within the last four years, creating persistent post-fire hazards including unstable landslides, hazard trees, rockfall, and debris that can block roads at any time. Several key roads have damage or access issues, particularly M10 (slides above Fouts Springs), M2/308 (slides blocking eastern access), and various others with unknown or compromised conditions. Cedar Camp Campground remains closed for public safety through June 2026. Trail 34 and Trail 85303 (Trail 3) are closed due to degradation and landslides. This is the only California national forest without a paved road entering it, offering primitive backcountry experiences but requiring high clearance vehicles and careful trip planning. Always check current conditions before traveling, as the dynamic post-fire landscape and winter weather create rapidly changing hazards.
Top Campgrounds
- Atchison Campground
- Bear Creek Campground
- Deer Valley Campground
- Fouts
- Green Springs Campground
- Howard Meadows Campground
- Keller Campground
- Lakeview Dispersed Campground
- Letts Lake Campground
- Little Doe Campground
- Little Stony
- Main Letts Campground
- Mill Creek - Mendocino National Forest
- Mill Creek Campground
- Mill Valley Campground
- North Fork - Mendocino National Forest
- North Fork Campground
- Old Mill Campground
- Penny Pines Campground
- Pine Mountain Lookout
- Saddle Camp Loop Campground
- Spillway Campground
- Stirrup Campground
- Sugar Spring Campground
- Sugarfoot Glade Campground
- Sunset Campground
- Wells Cabin Campground
- hammerhorn Lake Campground
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