Forest Service Training Update, VQ Change

Greetings and Salutations!

We have an information-packed newsletter recapping the Forest Service’s Annual Volunteer Training program and announcing an important change to the 2026 VisionQuest and CountingCoup Courses. Enjoy!

Forest Service Annual Volunteer Training Recap

On February 28, 2026, the Warriors of the Santa Anas leadership team attended the Forest Service’s Annual Volunteer Training program. This was an all day seminar where we heard from District Ranger, Mathew Bokach, and many other staff overseeing the Cleveland National Forest Trabuco Ranger District.

We also had the pleasure of meeting other Forest Service volunteers. I was honestly astounded by how many other volunteers and groups are out there doing work in the Santa Ana Mountains. Many of these volunteers put in several hundred hours of volunteer service last year, including one individual, Mike McDermott, who logged an awe-inspiring 570 hours! He humbly brushed this achievement off: “Most of it was sleeping.” (He does his work deep in the San Mateo Wilderness which requires overnighting to get to the trail work.)

Forest Regulations and Permits

We learned about some regulations including special use permits. Permits are required for events or gatherings that include 75 or more people or or for any revenue-generating event. This affects our upcoming VisionQuest–more on that later. Permits are also required for certain filming and photography activities (if you’re setting up lighting equipment, for example), all drone use and foraging/gathering in large quantities. Camping overnight is not authorized anywhere outside of campgrounds or the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness. Aside from camping, recreating in the forest at night is unrestricted.

In addition and quite importantly, Forest Service volunteers cannot legally maintain trails outside of officially sanctioned trails. Volunteers represent the Forest Service and while we have the autonomy to decide how we want to help the Service, this help must be within the scope of authorized and desired work. In a way, we’re unpaid Forest Service employees.

Our Role and the National Forest

District Ranger Mathew Bokach asked us, “How can we be of best use to the Forest Service?” We are the eyes and ears out there, reporting and documenting issues and trail conditions. We also can get behind Forest Service-sanctioned events (there is an upcoming Ortega Falls graffiti removal event for example). And, of course, our favorite: since they have no staffed positions filling this role, we are the Forest Service’s trail work crew, maintaining official Forest Service trails.

We also learned about the difference between a National Forest and a National Park. Parks are preservation-oriented whereas Forests are conservation-oriented. This means resource extraction is an important part of what drives National Forest management. Recall the slogan “Land of Many Uses” and this is apparent. While the Forest Service works towards meeting timber quotas and other resource-oriented goals, our desire to care for and recreate in the Forest is supported by the Forest Service’s mission of “caring for the land and serving people”.

Airport Fire Closure Update

We were given an update on the 2024 Airport Fire Forest Closure. This is to be re-evaluated in May when it expires and, if conditions are right, it will be lifted. Staff indicated that this does not mean trails will open. My guess is most trails will remain closed but perhaps North Main Divide Road will open through to Long Canyon Road as well as some specific smaller trails. I do not expect any of our major trails like Joplin, Holy Jim, Trabuco Canyon, nor San Juan Trail to be re-opened in May.

The Forest Service characterized Trabuco Canyon as being “beat up” and Blue Jay Campground being unlikely to be restored, until they receive additional funding to cover the approximately $300k of damage.

The good news is that the Forest Service indicated that a contractor will restart work on Trabuco or West Horsethief in a couple of months. They were hopeful that the work would be completed by the end of this year but they did not indicate when these trails would open. Maybe by next spring season we’ll be on these trails and if so, maybe we’re doing the 2027 VisionQuest in this zone. Perhaps this is just wishful thinking–time will tell.

2026 VisionQuest Update

Speaking of VisionQuest, we have a major course change to announce. This change is in the best interests of supporting our long term goal of restoring all our National Forest trails (Joplin, Holy Jim, West Horsethief, Tabuco Canyon, San Juan Trail, Los Pinos, etc).

We originally advertised a technical course relying on unsanctioned trails. This original course, dubbed The Tale of Two Peaks, summited Modjeska and Pleasants Peaks and descended Buckthorn, Two Monkeys and Tombstone. While there is no regulation prohibiting folks from riding unsanctioned trails, after speaking with Forest Service staff, we were advised to stick to sanctioned trails for our public, widely-attended ride. The only official Forest Service trail currently open is Maple Springs Trail (Silverado Motorway), so we need to ditch the challenging descent options of Buckthorn, Two Monkeys and Tombstone. Furthermore, we are no longer summiting Pleasant’s Peak. To stay on the theme of The Tale of Two Peaks, we will summit Santiago instead. Please view the updated course and new information on our website.

The CountingCoup course is also changed to include Santiago Peak. In addition, we’re offering three CountingCoup courses so you can right size your ride for you. These courses are posted on our website.

While those looking forward to a technical mountain biking course may be disappointed with this new cross-country oriented course, this change is going to best support a long term working relationship with the Forest Service. This is essential for our success in restoring our National Forest Trails. Our goal is to be a key partner working with the Forest Service to get our trails back as soon as possible.

Events

Our social rides happen on the full moon every month. We had a great February full moon ride enjoying the intermediate terrain of Blackstar Canyon at night. Check out our video report if you missed it and join us on the next one!

March 21, 2026 - Save March 21 date for giving back to your Santa Ana trails. We’ll decide later what we’re working on. Whatever it is, it will be a fun day out working on and riding our amazing trails! RSVP Required via Facebook or e-mail

April 2, 2026 - April Warriors’ Full Moon Ride. This is a Thursday. With the time change, this will be more of a sunset and dusk ride. Bring lights. Details to be determined.