Cleveland National Forest Closes High-Risk Trails Amid Record Heat and Rescue Surge

Eleven medical rescues. Eighteen less-urgent assists. All logged in just two drainages since the start of July. That's the number Cleveland National Forest cited Monday when they shut the San Diego River Gorge and Three Sisters trails down for the rest of August, according to the Times of San Diego. El Cajon Mountain Trail and the trails at El Capitan Reservoir are off-limits until temps ease — and here's the part that should get every outdoor athlete's attention: both routes are reverse-grade. The climbing hits on the way back, when your water is gone, your fuel is gone, and the only thing firing is spite.

Recalibrate the Calendar

Heat kills on the back leg, not the front. These trails hand you the hard work when you've already drained every reserve, and forestry officials logged 11 helicopter extractions and 18 ground assists in these two zones since July 1. That's a consistent problem, not bad luck.

So don't chase mileage in August. Chase heat tolerance. Sauna protocols. Pre-dawn hot long runs. Loaded hikes on terrain where you can bail cleanly when your core temp spikes. Build the conditioning in a place you can escape. Cleveland National Forest said they'll reassess as temperatures drop — "reassess" isn't a reopen date, it's a maybe. If you're prepping for a fall objective at altitude, this window is your on-ramp. Not your peak.

The Bears Are in the Same Story

Heat isn't the only thing hunting hikers right now. Monday on Wyoming's History Trail on Teton Pass, a woman took a defensive hit from a black bear sow with a cub — non-life-threatening, she walked out after deploying bear spray, per Cowboy State Daily. Across the Atlantic, rangers in Poland's Tatra National Park issued warnings after a mother bear and cubs were sighted on a busy route, according to Notes from Poland. Dense vegetation, low visibility, dogs that escalate an encounter then run back toward their handler — the variable that breaks these incidents isn't wildlife. It's your situational awareness when you're cooked from effort and exposure.

The canyons reopen when the heat breaks. Until then, do the work indoors and under controlled load so you're not one of the eleven when the trails open back up.