By Marshall Smith
Idyllwild Association of Realtors

Beginning in 2017 after a heavy winter snow, Idyllwild was overwhelmed with visitors from surrounding communities who came to play in the snow. These visitors did not know what was permissible and what was not. And there was no coordinated plan to educate them about their responsibilities and enforce parking and trespassing regulations.
They were unfamiliar with driving in snow and ice and did not understand the difference between the few public play areas in Idyllwild and private land. As a result, they migrated into the yards of residents and parked their cars blocking residential driveways.
That winter, Riverside County Third District Supervisor Chuck Washington convened an interagency panel of representatives from his office and county law and transportation agencies to explore ways to deal with this massive visitor influx of snow play visitors. That panel was later expanded to include the Idyllwild Snow Group, later Idyllwild Snow. The message and focus of the working group began to be on education and outreach — to help visitors understand what was permissible and what was not and to educate them on their responsibilities.
The good news is this effort over the last four years has made significant strides in promoting safety and respect for the mountain using a variety of educative efforts:
• Idyllwild Snow produced handouts and flyers for distribution in downtown high volume pedestrian areas; a website and Facebook page to alert potential visitors regarding risks and enforcement — with a variety of pictures and messages such as “park on the road-get towed;” posts regarding proper disposal of trash and limited availability of bathrooms as well as fines for illegal parking ($400 to reclaim a car if towed) and $1,000 tickets for littering. “This is part of an effort to educate visitors and give them realistic expectations of what they’ll find on the Hill,” Idyllwild Snow founder Marsha Kennedy said.
• County transportation installed signs on upper Fern Valley Road prohibiting weekend/holiday parking during the winter, December through April;
• California Highway Patrol (CHP) began regular policing and towing of illegally parked vehicles on Highway 243 and in residential neighborhoods;
• The U.S. Forest Service installed a permanent gate leading into Humber Park Trailhead to prevent snow parking in the trailhead lot. In addition, road signs indicating the closure of Humber Park during snow emergencies were installed in several places including South Circle Drive and Fern Valley Road;
• Portable restrooms are now available near the town monument.
• Idyllwild Snow and the Rotary Club of Idyllwild created a village map showing snow play areas and visitor tips. The map is in a UV resistant glass case by the town monument;
• Idyllwild Snow published numbers to call if there are problems with trespassing, property damage, illegal parking, traffic and road hazards (for trespassing, noise and property damage call Sheriff’s Department Hemet Station at 951-776-1099; for illegally parked vehicles, traffic and road hazards, call CHP at 760-772-8900);
• They also produced yard signs advising “no snow play or trespassing;”
Idyllwild Snow sites are among the best local resources for information: www.facebook.com/Idyllwild-Snow-1925765440973904/ and idyllwildsnow.com. There is also Idyllwild Snow for Locals at www.facebook.com/groups/1760287924292570.
During snow emergencies, snow play visitors often disregard traffic. The worry has always been of a sledding or pedestrian fatality.
Tragically, that happened on March 14 in Pine Cove when a 7-year-old boy died after colliding with a passing van, according to CHP Public Information Officer Matt Napier. “This is an absolute tragedy and one that could have been prevented,” said Napier.
There is still more to be done to prevent further tragedies.
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