PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — The Placer County Sheriff's Office announced the public parking for Yankee Jim's visitors is closed after a "dramatic increase" of out-of-town visitors.
The small community in Placer County saw a record number of 313 out-of-town visitors for the weekend of July 17-19, according to the Sheriff's Office. The parking lot designated for the area only has enough space for 12 cars.
"The rough and rugged road leading to Yankee Jim’s is not meant for constant vehicle access," the sheriff's office wrote in a Facebook post. "And [it] certainly [is] not meant for hundreds of vehicles to pile up and clog the roadway, which is already too narrow as it is."
With the increase in visitors, vehicles blocked entry and exit points to the area. Last weekend, this issue caused a traffic jam that lasted for hours as people tried to maneuver their cars to turn around.
Placer County Sheriff's Office released a video explaining situation:
This caused a public safety danger and blocked any first responders to access Yankee Jim’s in the event of any emergency or fire, the sheriff's office said on Facebook.
"There would be no way that I could get a fire engine, an ambulance or even a smaller utility vehicle down to this river because of the illegal parking that's going on, on the shoulders of the road," Cal Fire Battalion Chief Brian Eagan said.
California State Parks has closed all parking at Yankee Jim's as of Friday, July 24. There will be vehicle access to the area. If people continue to illegally park at Yankee Jim's, deputies will issue citations and call for cars to be towed.
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