You are losing ground. What will you do about it?

HozayKwarvo

HozayKwarvo

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From BLM ECFO FB Post:
Hey, outdoor enthusiasts!
Heads up! Osborne Overlook will be closing for overnight camping during some busy holiday weekends. But don’t worry, day-use is still wide open for your adventures!
Closure Dates:
Halloween: Oct 27 - Nov 2, 2025
Thanksgiving: Nov 24 - 30, 2025
New Year’s: Dec 29, 2025 - Jan 4, 2026
Presidents’ Day: Feb 9 - 17, 2026
Why the closure? We need to keep the landing zone clear for emergency medical crews—just making sure we’re ready for anything! So, plan ahead and keep the good times rolling!
Thanks for your understanding, and we can’t wait to see you out there!
Closure order: https://ow.ly/BHAA50X0qHu
Map: https://ow.ly/svUs50X0qHt

From the actual closure order:
TEMPORARY CLOSURE ORDER
Bureau of Land Management California
TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF OSBORNE OVERLOOK
September 11, 2025
Office: El Centro Field Office, California Desert District, California
Action: Restriction on overnight camping at Osborne Overlook
Summary: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will temporarily prohibit overnight camping at Osborne Overlook in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area for up to seven days surrounding the Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day, and Presidents’ Day holiday weekends. Day-use of the area will not be restricted.
Rationale: Pursuant to 43 CFR 8364.1, this closure is for emergency response access for law enforcement and medical personnel to provide a safe landing zone for medical airships, consistent with the California Desert Conservation Area recreation element goal to “provide a minimum of recreation facilities. These facilities should emphasize resource protection and visitor safety.”
Exemptions: This order does not apply to:
1. Federal, State, and local officers and employees in the performance of their official duties.
2. Members of organized rescue or firefighting forces in the performance of their official duties.
3. Persons with written authorization from the BLM. Authorized users must have in their possession a written permit or contract from the BLM, signed by the BLM Authorized Officer.
4. BLM employees, contractors, or agents engaged in official duties.
5. Parties who carry written approval signed by the BLM Authorized Officer allowing access to the described public lands.
Location: Along Highway 78, approximately halfway between Cahuilla Ranger station and the Glamis Beach Store in the area known as Osborne Overlook (Section 36, Township 13 South, Range 17.5 East, Imperial County, California) (32.9857, -115.1347), see map.
Dates: October 27 - November 2, 2025; November 24 - 30, 2025; December 29, 2025 - January 4, 2026; February 9 - 17, 2026.
 

Attachments

Between this and the 50' wide corridors at the flats that is a significant amount of acreage that is now lost to camping. No trade, nothing in place, no public comment, just gone. Add that the last RAMP rewrite removed all washes beyond 26 for authorized camping...

What are you doing to maintain your right to ride? Do you know who is fighting FOR your access and who is fighting AGAINST it? Get informed, you may be surprised.
 
HozayKwarvo said:
Add that the last RAMP rewrite removed all washes beyond 26 for authorized camping...
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Do you have more info on this? I don't recall hearing about that. I mean specifically about the camping closures. Last I've seen, the closure is still at Wash 33.
 
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HozayKwarvo said:
Between this and the 50' wide corridors at the flats that is a significant amount of acreage that is now lost to camping. No trade, nothing in place, no public comment, just gone. Add that the last RAMP rewrite removed all washes beyond 26 for authorized camping...

What are you doing to maintain your right to ride? Do you know who is fighting FOR your access and who is fighting AGAINST it? Get informed, you may be surprised.
Click to expand...
Wash 26+ - I didn't know that or missed it, that sucks,

Amicable Adversaries? - I bet we would be.
 
kazuaki said:
Do you have more info on this? I don't recall hearing about that. I mean specifically about the camping closures. Last I've seen, the closure is still at Wash 33.
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Looking for the actual reference now. 33-70 is the RAMP. There are signs posted at the wash berm in 26. It is possible that I mispoke and the closure wasn't due to the RAMP but the wash road revamp or other closure and not directly tied to the RAMP itself... now I'm on a mission to find the reason for the closure :unsure:
 
HozayKwarvo said:
Between this and the 50' wide corridors at the flats that is a significant amount of acreage that is now lost to camping. No trade, nothing in place, no public comment, just gone. Add that the last RAMP rewrite removed all washes beyond 26 for authorized camping...

What are you doing to maintain your right to ride? Do you know who is fighting FOR your access and who is fighting AGAINST it? Get informed, you may be surprised.
Click to expand...
Has anyone looked to support ASA? They do a lot to report and support Glamis users.

American Sand Association (ASA)
 
HozayKwarvo said:
Looking for the actual reference now. 33-70 is the RAMP. There are signs posted at the wash berm in 26. It is possible that I mispoke and the closure wasn't due to the RAMP but the wash road revamp or other closure and not directly tied to the RAMP itself... now I'm on a mission to find the reason for the closure :unsure:
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When this happened, I heard from Wash 26 and on as well. It was out there somewhere, for some reason.
 
PoppaWillie said:
Has anyone looked to support ASA? They do a lot to report and support Glamis users.

American Sand Association (ASA)
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Yes. They had a significant impact in implementing the 50' corridors in the flats and consider it a win.

I am not saying that it isn't a win in the name of safety, but the 348 million Americans who own that land got no additional camping area in return to offset this loss.
 
Someone told me last year ( a lil birdy) That the BLM is exploring trying to implement a parking policy on Gecko. Initial thoughts flying around was to have people park "Nascar Style" to give more room on the pads (Ya right.. Thats gonna work lol). I don't think they are trying to take land away from camping, but more of an effort to control parking. I'd be surprised if they didn't come up with something "Different" for Gecko but have not heard anything yet.
I did hear thou.... The "Estates" are going to be a major "focus"... Take this all with a grain of salt as it always starts at this time of year and then fizzles out
 
HozayKwarvo said:
Looking for the actual reference now. 33-70 is the RAMP. There are signs posted at the wash berm in 26. It is possible that I mispoke and the closure wasn't due to the RAMP but the wash road revamp or other closure and not directly tied to the RAMP itself... now I'm on a mission to find the reason for the closure :unsure:
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@kazuaki Still digging. In spite of the actual signs in wash 25/26 stating "no camping beyond this point" all along the wash berm, I haven't yet tracked down the actual source and how this was determined. It does 100% seem to coincide with the 2009 loss of use with Union Pacific maintenance road (old wash road) and the wash 10 underpass. The new BLM wash road on public lands that only stretches a strangely exact 5.0 miles down to wash 25/26.

The no camping signs and the actual RAMP do not align. Determined to find out how we lost ~8 washes of camping without a public notice/comment.

From: https://americansandassociation.org/whats-new/Whats_New_Dec_2009.html

New Wash Road, Area Improvements Greet ISDRA Visitors
Below is more information about these new changes and improvement to the ISDRA. Most importantly, however, and as always, Safety amongst all dune users is strongly emphasized.

In response to the Union Pacific Railroad’s decision to restrict public access to its maintenance road, the Bureau of Land Management, El Centro Office (BLM) and several volunteers scrambled in the heat of summer to construct a New Access Road to the Glamis area washes at the ISDRA. The road, designated for street legal vehicles only, is to the west of the old wash road, and provides access to the South from State Route 78 to Wash 25. As posted on the American Sand Association's (ASA) bulletin board: “Volunteers Darin Iezzi, Jay Walls and I, Thom Gell, want to say thanks for the opportunity to be involved in this awesome project.”

This road includes a staging area for several trash dumpsters, which are funded by the Permit Program through the BLM’s trash contract for the 2009/10 season. The ASA reminds all visitors that “Pack it in, Pack it home” will require fewer dumpsters, which will thereby free-up funding for other critical services within the ISDRA. The reason for this is that the BLM is charged for trash collection on a per-tonnage basis.

Some of the popular routes of travel have changed in the Glamis area. No vehicles are allowed on the Original Wash Road or through the Wash 10 under-crossing. Only street legal vehicles can cross the tracks at State Highway 78 and travel on Ted Kipf Road. OHVs can not legally cross over or under the tracks in Glamis or travel on Ted Kipf Road.
 
That is some BS but everyone keeps voting for more government.

Has BLM been investigated by DOGE?
 
HozayKwarvo said:
@kazuaki Still digging. In spite of the actual signs in wash 25/26 stating "no camping beyond this point" all along the wash berm, I haven't yet tracked down the actual source and how this was determined. It does 100% seem to coincide with the 2009 loss of use with Union Pacific maintenance road (old wash road) and the wash 10 underpass. The new BLM wash road on public lands that only stretches a strangely exact 5.0 miles down to wash 25/26.
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When did you see these signs? I've been camping in Wash 27 every trip for years. That said, last time I was there was President's Day weekend this year.
 
Last season, season before.... headed down to the old troll hut. There were maybe 4-6 of them between wash road and the dunes spread across the southern side of the wash, just before the berm.
 
Yeah, those are absolutely down at wash 30 or higher, not 25/26. I promise you. I drove into wash 27 every trip. We also go on morning walks down the road and have seen the signs several washes down. The maintained road ends at 25, but the no camping signs are much further down.
 
Closed for overnight camping but still open for day use so they can use as a helicopter landing area.....? Wtf they just plan to land there at night ?
Just land in the road up to Osborne at sand highway, flat hardpack area
 
Phil Brown said:
Closed for overnight camping but still open for day use so they can use as a helicopter landing area.....? Wtf they just plan to land there at night ?
Just land in the road up to Osborne at sand highway, flat hardpack area
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It's just an excuse used to justify the closure.
 
Phil Brown said:
Closed for overnight camping but still open for day use so they can use as a helicopter landing area.....? Wtf they just plan to land there at night ?
Just land in the road up to Osborne at sand highway, flat hardpack area
Click to expand...
Looks like they plan on camping there if you read the exemptions.
 
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