Craig Ranch Parking Lot:

As you already know, the Case Mountain Recreation Area includes dozens of miles of mountain bike, foot, and equestrian trails, picnic tables, and endless opportunities for wildlife observation, photography, and exploration in the foothills of the Sierras. The area is also part of the nearly 20,000 acre Kaweah Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) designated in the Bakersfield Resource Management Plan for protection of the Case Mountain giant sequoia groves, other sensitive plant and animal species, riparian areas, and cultural resources.

The BLM opened the Craig Ranch Parking Lot to the public back in April of this year and it has the capacity for approximately 40 cars and 4 horse trailers. The Parking Lot also has 2 restrooms, a 3-pin horse corral and 2 picnic tables. The lot is open to the public between the hours of 6am and 8pm and has an automatic gate that opens/shuts at those times. The directions are simply Hwy 198 to Craig Ranch Road. Follow Craig Ranch to the end of the road (about 1 mile).

There is no overnight camping allowed in the parking lot and no vehicle access outside the posted hours (there is a magnetic sensor that will open the gate for vehicles trying to leave that are already inside the parking lot). Finally, the speed limit along Craig Ranch Road is 15mph and no parking is allowed along the road.

Coffeepot Fire impacts:

While the Coffeepot Fire had a definite impact within Case Mountain, the impact to Recreational uses is minimal. The fire burned through multiple Giant Sequoia Groves managed by the BLM, and those groves are now in various stages of repair and stabilization. The entire Recreation Area was under Emergency Closure during the Fire due to the significant amount of emergency vehicle traffic and heavy equipment use. None of the multi-use trails were negatively affected from the fire, and Case Mountain is back to normal operations.

Livestock/grazing:

There are currently 2 grazing permits at Case Mountain. The first is for 15 horses and they stay on site year-round. 2025 is the last year for that permit and the horses will be moved back to private property. The other active permit is for 106 cattle and runs annually from January 15 – May 15.

North Fork BLM Land:

The BLM manages land along the North Fork of Kaweah for multiple uses including cattle grazing, Wilderness Study Areas and more. There is publicly accessible land at Shepard Saddle Road as well at the National Park Service boundary. There is of course a 10-mile no parking county ordnance in place before you reach those areas, and there is no plan to reopen BLM locations within that closure.