Adventure Pass Fees Waived Saturday for San Bernardino National Forest

Adventure Pass parking fees will be waived in the San Bernardino National Forest Service on Saturday, Sept. 24.

The parking passes will not be required for use of High Impact Recreation Areas or day-use sites, such as Lake Fulmor off Highway 243, in recognition of National Public Lands Day, according to the Forest Service.

The Forest Service bills National Public Lands Days as a "national volunteer effort to improve America’s lands" and an opportunity to educate the public on "the need for shared stewardship on the land."

Rangers and coordinators are seeking volunteers for several projects this Saturday, from Lytle Creek to La Quinta Cove.

Activities on the San Bernardino National Forest and Santa Rosa and San Jacinto National Monument include:

Lytle Creek clean-up - Clean up trash and graffiti, remove debris from the stream beds.

Cactus Flats Staging Area near Big Bear - Plant trees.

Parry Pinyon Pines near Garner Valley - Water already-planted pinyon pine seedlings, plant new seedlings, and remove vegetation away from already established trees.

Lake Hemet Picnic Area near Garner Valley - Remove trash and debris from perimeter of this popular lake in the San Jacinto Mountains.

Art Smith Trail in the Coachella Valley - Reclaim the old Art Smith Trail through vertical mulching and rock work to restore the native landscape. Volunteers can also assist with trail maintenance and marking the new, existing Art Smith Trail with signs.

La Quinta Cove in the Coachella Valley - Remove garbage and other refuse in cove. Meet at the East Cove Trailhead parking lot at 8 a.m.

Visit http://www.publiclandsday.org/ for more information.

The "Free Day" policy was established as part of the Adventure Pass program in 1998 allowing three free days per year, according to the Forest Service.

In Southern California national forests, the other free days are the first Saturday of June and Veterans Day on Nov. 11.

Other fees, including those for campgrounds, reservation sites and group sites, are still required.

Anyone who accidentally uses a daily Adventure Pass on a fee-free day may have it replaced free-of-charge, according to the Forest Service.

For more information about fee-free days and the recreation fee program in Southern California national forests, visit the Adventure Pass website at www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/ap/.

The San Bernardino National Forest covers a mountain and desert area from Mt. Baldy on the L.A. County line to both sides of the San Gorgonio Pass, and southeast into the Santa Rosa Mountains.