Blog Exchange

While this is the first Social Media site I set up to post information about the Mineral King Valley and the surrounding cabin community, I have found that almost all of the information I post here, I also post on our other, more popular sites; i.e., our website, Facebook Page, and Twitter account (see links, below).

So as of March 31, 2023 this blog will cease to exist.  Please visit us at our other sites:

Official website: https://www.mineralking.net

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mineralkingca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MineralKing

Winter Storm Update

In my last message to you I advised that we had hoped to fly developed areas of the parks this week and learn more about the damage we have suffered. Yesterday we were able to fly but were not able to survey areas we had hoped due to clouds such as Cedar Grove, Generals Highway North (between Grant Grove and Red Fir/Wuksachi), and Crystal Cave Road. We shall try again today. However, the weather did cooperate for Mineral King so I thought I would report out what we found:

• First, I am happy to report that we saw no obvious signs of any collapsed roofs or destroyed structures any where among the cabin communities, though snow up to the eaves was the norm and some cabins were buried entirely.
• Second, fortunately, the three road washout sites in the park from January did not appear to be appreciatively worse. The temporary mitigations seemed to hold.
• Also, more good news—we observed no catastrophic failure of the road, other than the one known site below the park at MM 4.5.
• However, we did observe more than a dozen new sites where the road partially washed out and will require repair, some of it major. The repair price tag is likely in the millions of dollars.

 

As such, once the county is able to repair the washout outside the park, it will take considerable time and effort to restore vehicle access to the Mineral King communities.

 

Within the main frontcountry corridor of the parks, Grant Grove is expected to remain closed to public access through roughly the end of the month due to damage to Highway 180 and other access routes outside the park. Crews are prioritizing emergency and residential access. On the Sequoia side, I expect a prolonged closure, even for the Foothills. Like Mineral King Road, Generals Highway has also taken a beating. We are still assessing the unprecedented level of damage and working feverishly to prevent additional damage from these subsequent atmospheric rivers. We do not have an estimated reopening date, but am tentatively planning a public briefing late next week, on the heels of the next (and let’s hope the season’s last) atmospheric river event, Monday night through Wednesday. At that time we will share more detailed information about the damage received and the storm recovery plans for all areas, including Mineral King.

 

I’m afraid it will be awhile before as a park, as with the community, it will be back to normal business. But the park staff has dug in their heels to stabilizing our situation, then restoring access with a lot of assistance from the Federal Highways Administration and roads contractors. I look forward to discussing all of this with you next week.

 

Respectfully,

 

Clay Jordan

Superintendent

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

From SEKI Superintendent

(Mineral King Road mentioned in paragraphs 3, 5, and 6.)

Hello everyone, 

I know that we are all dealing with impacts of this week's serious weather. Some in our communities have been through very scary situations in the past 48 hours, and some are still in the midst of those situations. We are right there with you! 

While the parks are currently closed to visitors, we do want to reach out to you, our neighbors, to let you know what we're doing on our end. We are expecting a brief window of fairly good weather before the next atmospheric river that is predicted to arrive beginning Monday night, and hope to use that time to our best advantage. 

 

Today, we got started assessing damage within the parks, as yesterday very few employees were in the field for safety reasons. Crews are proceeding cautiously up the Generals Highway from the Foothills Visitor Center, clearing major debris flows and checking for new places where the road has been compromised. As you can imagine after January's events, we had reason to expect that there may be major impacts to that section, and we are discovering sites even down near Ash Mountain. We do have a small number of NPS and concession employees that are sheltering in place during this weather event in Giant Forest, Lodgepole, and Wuksachi, and an emergency way out for those people is a priority. 

 

We have not been able to perform much assessment of any part of Mineral King yet, but knowing that sections of road were blocked by rockfall or structurally compromised from below during the last weather event, we must be very cautious in that area. The base of the Mineral King Road in Three Rivers was a water sheet yesterday and there is a lot of debris to contend with. We know how anxious the cabin communities are to know the status of your properties (and return to them). We are working to line up a helicopter reconnaissance flight in the next week, after the next weather system has moved through, to allow us to start getting a handle on what we're looking at up there. 2023 thus far has really dealt the Mineral King Road some serious blows and we will continue to keep you in the loop as we work to make progress. 

 

Grant Grove also has a number of employees sheltering in place and we are working to establish emergency egress for them as well, as well as the small number of winter Wilsonia residents who opted to remain in their homes there. Caltrans has Highway 180 closed and is currently focused on just achieving an emergency access lane to Grant Grove.

 

All areas of the parks will definitely be closed through the weekend and likely considerably longer. We don't have enough information yet to start working on timeframes for reopening. On a positive note, following the road damage we suffered in January to both the Generals Highway (5 sites) and the Mineral King Road (3 sites) we were able to work with our partners in the Federal Lands Division of the Federal Highways Administration to secure emergency funding to repair the damaged sections of the road. They recently awarded a contractor who will be mobilizing in early April. I expect that as we discover new damage we will be working with Federal Highways to expand that contract as necessary. Prior to this event Federal Highways was trying to secure multiple road crews within the contract to support work on Generals Highway and Mineral King Road simultaneously. I don't know how the current situation may effect that effort. Given what will likely be great demand for road contractors in the months ahead across California, though, I am pleased that we have a contractor committed to us and we will prioritize their efforts as appropriate.

 

Please understand that in combination with the vast fire scarred slopes throughout our road system, I expect that the flood damage to park roads we may discover in the days or weeks ahead may be greater than from any other flood event the parks have endured in many decades, including the terrible flood of 1997, and perhaps even the one in 1969. I appreciate your patience as we work to restore resident access to the Mineral King community and visitor access to all areas of the park. Our staff and equipment are once again being pushed to the max, but they are an incredible bunch of dedicated employees, and your neighbors, who are passionate about getting the park back in shape as quickly as we reasonably can. Please bear with us…

 

We will absolutely keep you informed as we proceed. We hope that this message finds you and your loved ones safe, well, and dry, and will send you our next update within the next few days. 

 

My Best Regards, 

 

Clay Jordan

Superintendent

Mineral King Road Update 3-4-23

To:         Silver City Cabin Owners
From:    David Hopper, President 

Fellow Cabin Owners,

We all are anxious either to know about our cabins and/or have the desire to travel up to see them.

I had a follow-up discussion with NPS officials and the summarized details are as follows:

Good news the NPS was able to get a Road Crew up there and they have made significant progress on repairs to the erosion damage on MK Road.

The NPS Road Crew also worked on some preventative measures to help minimize future erosion damage (ie clearing culverts and creating water diversion bars).  This will greatly help with further storms and the spring thaw.

The bad news,  these major storms continue to impact the road as we have many more areas of erosion areas than previously observed, and most of them are manageable.  However, the one major break near Slap Jack is still a major concern.

The bottom line, the integrity of the road needs to be assessed. As previously mentioned, NPS and Federal agencies will be conducting more detailed inspections in the next couple of weeks (weather permitting).  After which, they should have a better understanding of the road integrity and options for both the short and long term.

With this said the SCSC Board unanimously supports NPS closure of the road to motorized vehicles.

Traveling on these roads with any motorized vehicles may be a safety hazard to you.  Not to mention it may cause further damage to the road and increase repair times.

Please exercise patience and restraint on your desire to go up to our cabins.

As soon as NPS authorities give partial or full clearance to drive on the road we will let you know.

Regards,

David Hopper and SCSC Board Members

Mineral King Road

We just received this update on the Mineral King road from the Park Service:

"The brief road update is that we have gotten federal highways crews on site to evaluate the damage, and they are completing designs for a contractor now. We hope to award a contract within the first week or so of March and have crews on site as soon as possible following that. Given the number of locations along MK Road and the Generals Highway, the snow in some locations, and the need for warmer temps for the paving aspect of the work, I anticipate stabilization and repair efforts to be implemented incrementally over the next 3 months or so. Please reach out if you have any specific questions."

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks seek public input on planting sequoia seedlings in areas impacted by recent wildfires

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. – The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking public feedback on a proposal to replant giant sequoia and other mixed conifer seedlings in areas severely impacted by the recent Castle and KNP Complex wildfires and where regeneration is otherwise not anticipated in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.    

The NPS is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act. This process includes completing supporting analyses in accordance with the Wilderness Act and other laws to develop and evaluate alternatives to ensure proposed agency action conforms with all federal resource protection laws.    

The NPS proposes collecting, growing, and hand planting sequoia, sugar pine, Jeffrey pine, and ponderosa pine in up to six sequoia groves in the national parks. The NPS is also proposing to plant pine seedlings in a mixed conifer forest corridor of proposed critical habitat for the endangered fisher, a small mammal, immediately south of the Redwood Mountain Sequoia Grove in Kings Canyon National Park.    

Under the proposed action, establishing seedlings in severely burned areas would mimic natural processes pointing these groves and fisher habitat toward recovery of their pre-fire forest species compositions, as they would have done naturally had they not experienced severe fire effects during recent fires. Planting plans, informed by site-specific evaluations and minimum requirement analyses, would determine final acreage and specific locations of actions. The NPS currently estimates that planting may be necessary on up to roughly 1,200 acres of previously forested areas.   

 

To learn more about the proposed action and this planning effort and to provide comments, please visit the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ReEstablishGiantSequoiaPostFire2021.    

The NPS will host a virtual public meeting on the proposed action on Feb. 27, from 5 to 6 p.m. Public comments on the proposed action will be accepted through midnight, March 18. During this time, any individual or group can submit comments electronically through the project website, which is the preferred method, or via mail to:    

Superintendent      

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks      

Attn: Re-Establish Sequoias    

47050 Generals Highway   

Three Rivers, CA 93271     

Comments that provide insights about the project’s purpose and the parks’ current proposal are helpful, and new ideas and suggestions are also welcome. Following the public comment period, the NPS will analyze and consider all feedback and begin preparation of the assessment.    

The NPS will not select an alternative for implementation until after the analysis of all options, and their potential impacts, have been completed within the EA and all other analyses or consultations in accordance with other environmental laws have been completed. The NPS anticipates the EA will be available for public review in summer 2023. 

MKPS Seeking Artifacts

The Mineral King Preservation Society (MKPS) is searching for mining artifacts--in particular, tools used in the mines, parts and pieces of the stamp, the ropeway, the smelter, etc. and pictures of any of these machines. We will take them ON LOAN or DONATED; however, you would allow us to show these artifacts to the public.

MKPS is finalizing the mining exhibit and the smelter exhibit and want to make certain that we have all the possible artifacts we can get to tell the story of mining in Mineral King with as many visual effects as possible.

If you have something to offer, please contact Sandi Stryd, MKPS Curator, at sandra@mineralking.org or leave a message at (559) 561-1000.  Thank you! 

Public Meeting About Visitor Experience And Access

 UPDATE: Public Meeting About Visitor Experience and Access  

this Wednesday, February 8 

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. February 6, 2023 – Officials from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks will be hosting a public meeting on the topic of visitor experience and access on Wednesday, February 8, at 6 p.m. at the Three Rivers Memorial Building. This meeting has been rescheduled multiple times due to weather emergencies in and around the parks. The associated public comment period will remain open until Wednesday, February 15. This meeting will not be livestreamed, but the recording of a previous virtual public meeting on this topic can be found on the project site linked below. 

 

The National Park Service (NPS) is working on a visitor experience and access planning process for developed areas of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and is seeking public feedback to help identify key issues and ways the NPS can improve visitor experiences.  

 

The parks have experienced record-breaking levels of visitation over the last decade, and popular destinations in the parks can be challenging for visitors and staff to navigate, particularly during busy times. This project seeks to meet the changing needs of park visitors while sustainably addressing ongoing challenges attributed to high levels of visitation in the most popular areas of the parks.   

 

To learn more about this planning process and provide your feedback, please visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/SEKIFrontcountryFall2022.  

 

Comments may also be mailed to:   

 

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks  

Attn: Visitor Experience and Access Plan   

47050 Generals Highway  

Three Rivers, CA 93271 

 

Future public comment periods will be announced as this effort moves forward. If you have any specific questions regarding this proposal, please contact Elly Boerke, Environmental Protection Specialist, at (559) 565-3102. 

 

An (unfortunate) update on the Mineral King Road

The Park Service, and especially District Ranger Dave Fox, have been very helpful in keeping us posted on the status of the Mineral King Road. The following is Dave's latest message, with the photo which accompanied it.

Friends,

We have been receiving assistance from two of our former maintenance employees in a rented back hoe working their way up toward Mineral King. Below Slapjack Creek, we found a significant washout that will need additional inspection before we are able to determine if the road will support even one lane of traffic.

With the weather prediction for this weekend, I'm not clear how this will shake out. Our crew has cleaned out the culvert the slide that was primarily responsible for this damage so hopefully we won't lose any more, but I'm afraid we'll have to wait and see. It looks like about ¾ inch of rain is predicted prior to some snow at this location.

I know it is tough waiting but that is still the safest thing to do. Please be patient and let the crew work their way through this. Keep your vehicles off the road for now. We can't guarantee the stability of the decomposed granite below that section of roadway and your safety is our greatest concern.

Thanks,

Dave Fox
Sequoia District Ranger

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Mineral King Update 1/21/2023

Hello friends,

I just spoke with Rick Hall who was on the helicopter today and able to review the storm damage from the air. The short answer is that there was no major significant damage (total road washouts) that we could see from above. There is a lot of erosion and rutting along the roadside but unless we missed anything major (possible) the two areas where the road has been undercut that you have previously seen are probably the worst damage to the road.

They flew the entire roadway and circled around the cabins looking for any obvious damage. They saw none. I know that won't put everyone's mind to ease as you are aware it is possible to miss seeing damage through the trees, but there was no obvious catastrophic damage to the cabins. No land, mud, or snow slides around them. No tree failures were seen to have impacted the structures. Overall, they said it look surprisingly good. 

Highbridge did release. Snow in that area is estimated to be 30 feet deep. That's going to be a challenge, like every year. There is still snow on the road, so it's possible that we missed something, but I'm feeling much more positive about the impacts thus far. 

Rick is working on getting some help through various means to put people on the Mineral King Road to start clearing slides and hardening drainages. We have to take certain steps to bring people on board, but he is working with some of our retirees to see if we can make a temporary hire or work through a volunteer process to speed things up. We need to take care of these folks, so it will take a bit of time to make anything happen. As always, I'll try to keep you apprised of our progress. 

Thanks, 

Dave Fox

Sequoia District Ranger

559-565-3710 office

559-565-3195 24-hour emergency operations center

9-1-1 Physical Emergency

9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Hotline

Mineral King Road Access Update

Date: Fri, Jan 20, 2023 at 11:42 AM
Subject: Mineral King Road

Friends,

I'm getting feedback that you may believe the road is 100% closed. I want to be very clear on my stance.

The road is closed to motor vehicles. Approximately ½ mile into the park there has been a large land slide that went over the road in a section where the road has been undercut (photo attached). Attempting to drive a motor vehicle over this is likely to result in further damage to the road. This is not the only undercut we are aware of.

I am not restricting access to your properties. Until we can get heavy equipment out there, it is unlikely you will find anyone working on the road or impacting our ability to get work done. There is minor road damage up to the ½ mile above the lower gate. I am asking you not to drive on the road past the gate as there is little to no parking, and limited space to turn around there. 

Walking and bike riding is not restricted at this time. I am issuing a warning that we do not know the status of the road, the number of washouts, the ease or ability to access Mineral King or Silver City. 

As discussed in the public forum last night, we are trying to get an overflight of the road tomorrow and may have more information about SIGNIFICANT washouts or issues, but that does not preclude road damage we can't see or assess from the air. 

Now that the weather is lightening up, there is a potential for snow melt, that could cause flash flooding or other portions of the road that just fail. 

While I don't recommend the long walk at this time, I am not prohibiting it. 

If you choose to visit your cabin, sharing any photos of the area would be helpful. Please geotag them if possible, and share them with the group. 

Thanks, 

Dave Fox

Sequoia District Ranger

559-565-3710 office

559-565-3195 24-hour emergency operations center

9-1-1 Physical Emergency

9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Hotline

Mineral King Road Closure

You all know that the Mineral King Road has been closed for the winter, and most of you have read about the damage to the road caused by this month's storms.

That damage is far greater than what anyone might have imagined. While there are many mudslides, fallen trees and large boulders blocking the road, those are the least of the problems. There are many places where large segments of the road have been washed away -- and worse, many places where the remaining pavement has been undercut, leaving what is left subject to collapse under any weight which might be placed upon it. And that kind of damage is visible now only on the lower part of the road which is not buried in snow.

As a result the road is now closed to all visitors. The combination lock which has allowed cabin owners to access the road is no longer accessible, and will remain locked off until the Park Service can be satisfied that minimal traffic might be safe. That will take a great deal of time, because until the snow melts it will not be safe to push a plow over what might well be an unsupported section of asphalt, and some of the required repairs may be very time consuming.

Under the circumstances, no one can predict when the road might again be open -- it may not be until well into the summer. As difficult as it may be, please try to be patient.

The Park Service is doing everything it can to survey the damage (even by hiring a helicopter to make aerial observations), to determine what repairs will be needed, to secure emergency funding to help pay for that work, and to secure the manpower, equipment and materials to do the work. And we are not alone with this problem. There are many other roads within the park which have been damaged -- including multiple washouts in the General's Highway.

The road below the lower gate, for which the County is responsible, has also suffered considerable damage. So PLEASE do not try a sightseeing drive up the road to see how far you can go, much less jump the gate and try to proceed further on foot or on skis.

The Park Service and the County will keep us advised of any changes in the road conditions and progress in the repair work, and we will immediately pass that information on to you.

Incidentally, the Park Service will be conducting a public briefing on conditions within the park tonight, January 19, at 6:00 PM at the Three Rivers Memorial Building. All are welcome to attend, and the program will also be available live on the Park's facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/SequoiaKingsNPS] -- and it will also be recorded for later viewing.

John Crowe

President, MKDA

Photos Along the Mineral King Road

 Amazing photos taken January 17, 2023 by Michael & Jana Botkin.

SEKi Visitor Experience Postponed

 

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks: Public Meeting About Visitor Experience and Access Postponed Until February, Public Meeting About Storm Impacts Scheduled for January 19

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. January 18, 2023 – As National Park Service personnel continue to assess damage and respond to emergencies in the parks following recent storms, a decision has been made to further postpone the public meeting scheduled for tonight in Three Rivers, CA, on the topic of visitor experience and access. Tomorrow, January 19, NPS officials will host a public meeting on the topic of storm impacts and response at the Three Rivers Memorial Building at 6 p.m.  

While the parks plan to resume their focus on the important work of long-term solutions to visitor experience and access challenges as soon as possible, storm response is currently the top priority, and these changes in the public meeting schedule reflect that. The public comment period associated with the visitor experience and access project has been extended through February 15, and the new date in February for the public meeting will be announced once it is established. For more information and to submit a comment visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/SEKIFrontcountryFall2022. 

The storm systems that have been battering the state of California in recent weeks have caused significant damage to the Generals Highway, the main road that connects the parks. It is currently not possible to visit giant sequoias, including the world-famous General Sherman Tree, in Sequoia National Park. Severe damage has been found in most areas of the parks, with much more still to be assessed. The public meeting tomorrow, January 19, will detail what is known and unknown at this time, and endeavor to provide timelines where possible.  

While Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park has remained open throughout this time, major snow accumulation in that area has created its own access challenges. For current conditions please visit our website www.nps.gov/seki.