FOREST FALLS, Calif. — A sudden burst of mountain rain Thursday triggered multiple mudslides that shut State Route 38 in both directions and stranded motorists above Angelus Oaks, prompting a SigAlert and closing access to trailheads in the San Gorgonio Wilderness, authorities said. The California Highway Patrol announced the closure at Highway 38 and Valley of the Falls Drive, with the road blocked from Valley of the Falls to Seven Oaks in the Barton Flats area while crews worked through debris and washouts. By 5:09 p.m., transportation officials reported a pavement “slip-out” at postmile 23.5 near Cedar Falls Road, between Angelus Oaks and Heart Bar Campground, and warned there was no immediate estimate for reopening.
Residents posted photos and video showing torrents ripping through normally narrow channels and fresh scars where the highway dropped away. “My husband called me… he made it through before the mudslide at Forest Falls and has been stuck where the road washed out above Angelus Oaks,” Gina Braswell wrote in a local update. Photographer Evan Liewer reported the road “washed out at Clarks Creek, very similar to 2023,” and said he believed a section collapsed near Bridal Veil Creek. Another post from Prospect showed the creek running bank-to-bank, while commenters across the valley described sheets of rain in Mentone and only sprinkles in San Bernardino, a reminder of how localized the storm cells can be in the foothills.
County officials said all roads to San Gorgonio trailheads were closed because of mudslides and urged hikers and sightseers to stay away from Forest Falls and Angelus Oaks until the area is stabilized. At least a few houses appeared to be “severely hit,” one resident wrote, though there were no immediate official reports of injuries. Drivers were asked to avoid the corridor entirely and check Caltrans’ QuickMap for updates as crews assessed damage, cleared debris and inspected undermined sections of pavement.
Forest Falls and the upper reaches of Highway 38 are notoriously vulnerable during intense downpours, with narrow canyons funneling water, rocks and burned soil onto the roadway. Thursday’s surge left fresh gouges at familiar trouble spots and cut off access to popular recreation sites at the height of late-summer hiking season. As dusk fell, bulldozers and road workers continued carving channels through the mud while law enforcement kept barricades in place at the valley floor and near South Fork, bracing for the possibility of additional slides from saturated slopes. Officials did not say when the highway might reopen, but cautioned that cleanup and safety inspections could take time once the rain moves out.
Same thing happened in March 7th 1969.