Beginning Sunday, Oct. 1, vehicular access to Humber Park will be restricted to hikers coming down Devil’s Slide Trail or coming from town along the Ernie Maxwell Trail.
Since last month, Riverside County has been doing major road work, including reconstruction and repaving, on several roads in Idyllwild. This includes Fern Valley Road, the only way to access Humber Park by car or bicycle.
Fern Valley Road will be resurfaced from South Circle Dr. to Humber Park, about 1.7 miles. However, just before the entrance to Humber Park, the county needs to construct a retaining wall below the road edge.
Because of the equipment and narrow area, the county will need to close access to Humber Park for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians for about two weeks when this portion of the work commences. Also, parking will not be permitted on Fern Valley Road during the closure.
When this occurs, the U.S. Forest Service will post signs on the Pacific Crest Trail, especially at the juncture with Devil’s Slide Trail, so that hikers will know they can still get into town for food, rest or mail via the Ernie Maxwell Trail, which has access in the Humber Park parking lot.
“We’re not issuing a [park] closure order. The trails are open,” stressed Gustavo Bahena, public affairs specialist for the San Bernardino National Forest.
Weather and other events could alter the schedule, Andrea Suarez, the county’s information consultant, stressed.
Besides the retaining wall before Humber Park, the county also plans to adjust water valves and guardrail height along Fern Valley Road. Other work will include placing a shoulder edge, re-applying pavement striping, and removing and installing various signs.
The other roads where work has been done are Saunders Meadows Road and South Circle Drive. Resurfacing of .7 miles of North Circle Drive also is part of the project.
The county Transportation Maintenance Yard and Lawler Lodge are the two specific locations where resurfacing will be done and may affect traffic passing near them.
The approximate cost for all the roadwork is $5.1 million.
For more information before and during the project work, a Construction Hotline (877-277-5343) is available to call. Also, Riverside County Transportation has a website with project information at: rcprojects.org/Idyllwild.
