Before your weekend trip, check changing fire restrictions, park-access rules and a Lower Trinity River salmon closure. You should also review a new safety recall if you own a Hatsan Blitz or Blitz 777 air rifle.

Illustrative North Eagle Lake campground photo: Bureau of Land Management. BLM announcement and photo. Not a photograph of a current fire or a guarantee of present campsite conditions. No claim to original U.S. Government works.

Wildfire and Fire Restrictions

• Northern California and Nevada: BLM eases seasonal restrictions: An October 15 announcement eases seasonal fire restrictions effective that day on public lands managed by the Applegate and Eagle Lake field offices, allowing recreational target shooting and campfires again, with a valid campfire permit and unless otherwise posted (Bureau of Land Management). The affected BLM lands are in Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou and Shasta counties in California, and Washoe and Humboldt counties in Nevada; this is not a blanket change for all lands in those counties (Bureau of Land Management). California’s statewide BLM Fire Prevention Order remains in force, and tracer ammunition and incendiary devices remain prohibited; check your specific destination before lighting a fire (Bureau of Land Management).

After checking local fire rules and campsite access, review your trip essentials in our Camping collection.

Trail and Access Closures

• Santa Monica Mountains: new red flag closure protocol: The October 14 announcement establishes a coordinated red flag closure protocol among the National Park Service, California State Parks, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, with its first activation tied to this week’s forecast Thursday-through-Saturday warning (National Park Service). Agency leaders decide which parklands close each day based on the forecast’s extent and severity; affected areas may stay closed all day even for a partial-day warning, and specific closures vary rather than applying automatically to every parkland (National Park Service). Not every closed area will be signed or gated, so check the agency managing your destination and postpone hiking, mountain biking or other recreation in closed areas (National Park Service).
• Washington: Little Giant Fire closure area reduced: The revised Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest order, updated October 14 and effective through October 31 unless rescinded sooner, reduces the Little Giant Fire closure area but retains extensive restrictions on the U.S. Forest Service lands defined in the order and map (U.S. Forest Service). Its closed-trail list includes Little Giant Trail 1518, Buck Creek Trail 1513 and Phelps Creek Trail 1511; a reduced boundary does not mean those trails have reopened (U.S. Forest Service). Before setting out, check the full map and route lists in Order 06-17-07-2026-46 rather than assuming neighboring roads, trails or campgrounds share the same status (U.S. Forest Service).

Fishing and Regulations

• California: Lower Trinity adult Chinook closure starts tonight: CDFW’s October 15 release says the adult fall-run Chinook salmon fishery will close at 11:59 p.m. Friday, October 16, from the Denny Road Bridge at Hawkins Bar downstream to the confluence with the Klamath River, based on projected attainment of the reach’s 536-adult-fish quota (California Department of Fish and Wildlife). The reach remains open to harvest of jack Chinook measuring 23 inches or less, while all adult Chinook caught must be immediately released after the closure (California Department of Fish and Wildlife). If you target salmon in the Klamath or Trinity rivers, carry a 2026 North Coast Salmon Report Card, begin filling it out when fishing starts and record harvest and release in real time; check quota status at 800-564-6479 (California Department of Fish and Wildlife).

Once you have confirmed the rules for your fishing destination, browse our Fishing collection.

Gear Recalls

• Hatsan Blitz and Blitz 777 air rifles recalled: The October 15 recall covers about 16,170 Hatsan Blitz and Blitz 777 air rifles sold from February 2020 through March 2026 in .22, .25 and .30 calibers because they can fire unexpectedly when the bolt is released before the rifle is fully cocked (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission). If you own an affected rifle, stop using it immediately, make sure it is unloaded and contact HatsanUSA for a free trigger-assembly replacement; the company offers a prepaid shipping label for inspection and replacement if you do not want to perform the replacement yourself (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission). CPSC reports one accidental misfire and no reported injuries; contact HatsanUSA at 877-750-3375 or [email protected] for the remedy (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission).

Featured Gear: Review the Princeton Tec Apex LED Headlamp, Black/Grey as you check your campsite lighting. Confirm its specifications fit your plans before choosing your gear.

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