Cedar Creek Falls Trail Will Remain Closed Until April

Cedar Creek Falls, the popular hiking destination near Ramona, will be closed until April 1, the Forest Service reported on Monday.

The falls and its trails were officially closed July 9, following The Forest Service originally planned to re-open the area Nov. 8.

"The purpose of the closure is to give the Forest Service time to design and implement a management plan to address issues of public safety, overcrowding, and resource impacts," the Service reported in a news release Monday.

The Forest Service is moving ahead with the development of a management plan for the area and will conduct an analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) prior to finalizing and implementing the plan, the news release stated. "The target for the completion of the NEPA is late March, 2012.  A decision on whether or not a permit would be required to hike the trail in the future will not be made until the conclusion of the NEPA process.  The permitting system course of action is one that will be studied, while other alternatives will be studied as well.

The closed area includes the trailhead at Thornbush Road in San Diego Country Estates, the trail to and from Cedar Creek Falls from the Thornbush Road Trailhead, the trailhead area at Saddleback (on Eagle Peak Road), the trail from Saddleback, and the specific Cedar Creek Falls site. The closed area extends for ¼ mile on both sides of the trails and the falls.

Residents of Thornbush Road complained about the behavior of hikers heading to the trail last summer,