Travel Plans to LA — Should You Still Go?

The multiple wildfires that broke out last week in and around Los Angeles County — including the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires — have claimed at least 24 lives so far and destroyed over 12,300 buildings.

Los Angeles receives around 50 million visitors a year from all over the world — and the Bay Area. The two regions are particularly closely intertwined: Folks constantly travel back and forth for family, friends or community events. But as fires continue to burn — and emergency resources and volunteers mobilize in response — is now the best time for folks to travel to Los Angeles? And is it even safe to visit L.A. right now?

These are questions some folks have been seeking guidance on online. And unlike Maui officials after the devastating Lahaina wildfire in 2023, California authorities have still not made any public requests for travelers to stay away — yet. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) says it’s “open and operating normally” while also noting that travelers “should check their flight status directly with their airline.”

• Jump straight to: Why firefighters aren’t looking for out-of-town “clean-up volunteers” right now

However, officials elsewhere have urged people not to travel within the area, with CalTrans warning of ongoing highway closures. Last week, the agency asked people to “limit your non-essential travel and stay away” from the affected areas.

In the absence of explicit guidance from officials, some folks with plans to visit L.A. might be torn about whether to cancel their plans, potentially losing money in the process from non-refundable reservations. And while much of this decision may ultimately come down to personal choice, it’s also important to be aware of your impact — and the extreme challenges you might face as a visitor to L.A. at the moment — when making your judgment.

Keep reading for the reasons you might strongly consider canceling your visit to L.A. right now. And remember: Everyone’s situation is different when it comes to refunds, so it’s important that you speak directly to any providers you’ve reserved travel through — or to your insurer if you’ve purchased travel insurance — to see what’s possible.

Reason 1: Contrary to some social media postings, officials aren’t looking for out-of-town “clean-up volunteers” right now

Wanting to help the people of L.A. in this current moment is completely natural — and we’ve got an ongoing list of organizations and mutual aid funds you can donate to.

But on Tuesday, CalFire warned that an “inaccurate social media post is currently circulating on Facebook” that “claims that individuals can come to California to join a clean-up crew in areas affected by recent LA wildfires.”

“This information is false, and we would like to clarify that there is no such opportunity available,” CalFire says. Edwin Zuniga, the agency’s public information officer, confirmed that “we don’t just take volunteers off the street to come help out” due to a lack of specific training and experience in wildfire and firefighting situations — and that fire departments will instead call in firefighters from other departments to assist them, if they’re lacking personnel.

L.A. volunteer nonprofit, L.A. Works, is also urging people not to “self-deploy to impacted areas,” as “first responders need roads to remain clear and Angelenos to stay safe.”

It’s entirely natural to feel the impulse to help out in person at the current moment. But right now, if you don’t live in the L.A. region, your energies might be better spent supporting the volunteers and organizations who are already doing the work down there, especially as several fires are still ongoing. L.A. Works also has:

• A list of donation opportunities plus specific calls for volunteers 
• A spreadsheet of in-person volunteer opportunities for people in the region (“These are not necessarily vetted, so please assess before showing up,” L.A. Works says.)
• A sign-up sheet for folks interested in more volunteer opportunities “once the fire is contained.”

Reason 2: Evacuees may still need those hotel rooms and short-term rentals right now 

Over 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders in Los Angeles County, with another 89,000 under evacuation warnings. A great number have lost their homes entirely.

And while many people are finding shelter with friends or family elsewhere in the region, that still means there are a huge number of evacuees who are seeking a roof over their heads in the form of a hotel room or a short-term rental like Airbnb or VRBO.

Airbnb is currently partnering with 211 LA to offer free accommodation to people displaced by the fires in L.A., and 211 LA is warning that high demand for these short-term rentals means applicants are already waiting to get a response.

Of course, losing money by canceling non-refundable accommodation is no small thing. But if your hotel or short-term rental is non-refundable, it’s always worth contacting the hotel or owner directly to explain the situation and ask what’s possible.

Reason 3: The air quality in many parts of L.A. could still pose a risk to your health 

As you’ll have seen from the harrowing photographs coming out of L.A. since last week, huge portions of the region have been choked with thick wildfire smoke. But because of the way this smoke can travel huge distances, fanned by the powerful winds sweeping through the region right now, it’s not just areas actively burning right now that are impacted by dangerous air quality. See the current air quality readings for the L.A. area.

It’s crucial to take wildfire smoke seriously because even brief exposure to it can cause potentially serious health problems for everyone. What we call “wildfire smoke” is actually an ever-changing mix of particles and gasses, and many of these compounds are toxic. But the most dangerous thing for your health in wildfire smoke is the fine particulate matter: that is, the tiny pieces of soot and ash that are invisible to the naked eye. These particles — also known as PM 2.5 — are so small and light that they can travel huge distances from a raging wildfire and then cause damage to your body just by entering it, setting off inflammatory reactions that can make breathing difficult.

In serious cases, these reactions can even trigger a heart attack or stroke in people already at risk of those events. The particles can travel deep into your lungs, and within a few days, the damage they cause can result in bronchitis or pneumonia.

So, if you intend to still visit L.A., it’ll be crucial for you to monitor the air quality, and to stay inside if readings become hazardous. If you have to be outside in those conditions, you should wear an N95 or KN95 mask — the kind you may have stocked up on due to COVID-19.

Reason 4: Tourist attractions and big events are closing — or moving

There are always fun things happening in L.A., but the fires — and smoke that’s covering most of the city — changed all that last week.

The Hollywood sign, perhaps the most emblematic landmark of Southern California, is currently not welcoming any visitors. The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks says that Griffith Park, where the Hollywood sign is located, will now remain closed until Wednesday, Jan. 15. This also includes other popular attractions like the Griffith Observatory, Runyon Canyon and Lake Hollywood Park, another popular viewpoint for the Hollywood sign.

Just a few of the tourist attractions in the greater Los Angeles area that remain closed as of Tuesday, Jan. 14:

• Warner Bros. Studios
• The Getty Villa
• The Getty Center, located in Brentwood, will be closed till Sunday, Jan. 12.
• The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA)
• The Hammer Museum
• The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will be closed on Friday, Jan. 10.

Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal CityWalk and Disneyland remain open.

Big sporting events have also been affected by the fires. The Los Angeles Rams were scheduled to play against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, but the game was instead played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, at the same scheduled time. Other L.A. teams, like the Chargers and Kings, also programmed away games throughout the week.

Reason 5: Travel could still be difficult in L.A. right now

All major Bay Area airports (San Francisco, Oakland and San José International) are still continuing to fly to the L.A. area. Amtrak is still also offering service to its L.A. stations.

However, Los Angeles city officials are been discouraging travel by car in the area. “Anywhere in this city, if you can stay off the roads, please do so,” City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson says during a Wednesday press conference. “If there is not a good reason for you to be on the roads, we ask that you leave the roads open as possibly as you can to the public safety professionals that have to do their work and will lead us out of the crisis that we face.”

Keep in mind that over 100,000 people in Los Angeles County are still under evacuation orders and many are still in shelters. Many residents will be using the roads to travel back home once evacuations are lifted — or, if another wildfire breaks out, using them to evacuate.

Reason 6: Fires can be unpredictable

If you’re traveling to an area of L.A. that’s far from the active wildfire zones down there, you might consider yourself to be much safer than if you were staying closer to the fires.

But unfortunately, fires can move unpredictably — and, as we’ve seen this week, very fast. And new blazes can affect communities that would never have suspected themselves to be under threat of wildfires or evacuation.

New red flag warnings for the Santa Ana winds, which have been stoking these L.A. wildfires, remain in place through Wednesday at 6 p.m., and the National Weather Service has issued its most severe fire warning through noon Wednesday.

The largest of the current fires, the Palisades fire, is still only 35% contained after burning for a week.

All in all, it’s extremely difficult to make accurate predictions about how these wildfires in L.A. will develop, and assuming that the situation will improve within days is not advisable.