A major highway leading to California‘s iconic Big Bear Lake has been closed indefinitely after getting washed away in a storm.
Highway 38 from Angelus Oaks to Big Bear has been shut down after Tropical Storm Mario caused a road washout last week.
The stretch of highway is a popular route to get to Big Bear Lake, which is known as Southern California’s four-season mountain lake escape for its scenic hiking trials and water and snow sports.
The storm unleashed torrential downpours across the San Bernardino mountains, and triggered floods and landslides.
The San Bernardino County Fire Department said 10 people traveling in six to seven cars got stranded amid the mud and debris along Highway 38 on Friday.
Rainfall totals in the mountains reached up to two inches, with a few isolated higher totals, according to Fox Weather.
Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation, shared shocking footage showing the extensive damage to the roadway, surrounding terrain and infrastructure.
‘The combination of Tropical Storm Mario, heavy rainfall, and the El Dorado burn scar has left a trail of destruction in its wake, and one of the most dramatic impacts is the severe washout of SR-38 at post mile 23.9,’ Caltrans said on social media.
Highway 38 from Angelus Oaks to Big Bear has been shutdown after Tropical Storm Mario caused a road washout last week
The stretch of highway is a popular route to get to Big Bear Lake (pictured), which is known as Southern California’s four-season mountain lake escape
Caltrans told ABC7 the highway is closed indefinitely and unlikely to open in time for snowboarding season.
‘Unfortunately, it was a lot more extensive than we first thought,’ said Eric Dionne, a spokesperson for Caltrans District 8.
‘Just from seeing the images on Thursday night, (there’s a) complete washout of the road. So a lot of material came down from the El Dorado Fire burn scar.’
Devastated lake goers comment on Caltrans’ social media post expressing their heartbreak over the road closure.
‘This footage is mind blowing and there are no words to express how sad this is,’ one person said.
‘I am so bummed. I was planning on going fishing at Jenks Lake, but I’m pretty sure from looking at the map that there’s no way up there,’ said another.
‘People need to drive up to Angelus Oaks and eat at The Oaks restaurant. This closure is going to be very hard on them. The road is closed after that,’ added a third.
While crews work to rebuild the highway, business owners and residents are bracing for significant impacts from the closure.
The storm unleashed torrential downpours across the San Bernardino mountains, and triggered floods and landslides
Shocking footage showed the extensive damage to the roadway, surrounding terrain and infrastructure
‘That’s a lot of my business,’ Monica Aguilar, the owner of the Oaks Restaurant, told the local news station.
‘Winter? There goes winter. Because if there’s no access to Big Bear, there’s no snow play out here. It’s going to hurt a lot.’
One man told the station that his commute to Angelus Oaks, which usually takes only about ten minutes, now takes much longer because he has to go all the way around the other side.
‘It took about two hours to get around the mountain,’ said Jacob Truitt.
Visitors are advised to take Highway 330 through Running Springs, or Highway 18 from the north through Lucerne Valley as an alternative route.
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