Road Closures? (Paging Kris)

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3800936.pdf

I think if I'm reading this right, Forest Road 19 is closed for a majority of it after January 1st?

Gregulator said 

Do I need to just go out and explore?  I'm mainly looking for paved roads that are unmaintained by snow removal vehicles.  Does anyone have some suggestions so we can get some snow runs on the books?

Greg,

I have an idea for a snow run that isn't too extreme, depending on the amount of snow at the time. I have ridden my quad a lot on Lowell Hill Road (LHR) and Chalk Bluff Road (CBR). I was thinking it might be fun to run up one, travel a 3.5 miles on Hwy 20 and then run back down the other. If there was any significant delay, you could always just complete one leg and exit via Hwy 20. Both roads are dirt and you can travel them in a 2WD during the summer. To access LHR, you go into the town of Dutch Flat and then take Diggins Hill to LHR. When you are on Hwy 80 at Blue Canyon and you look north across the canyon at the large ridge on the other side of the Bear River, LHR runs on top of that ridge and has some nice views back towards Blue Canyon. CBR will lead back down and you can come back out on Hwy 174 by taking CBR to Red Dog to You Bet Rd to 174. Much of the run will be below the snow line but muddy so the difficulty of this would depend on the current snow level and the depth of the snow as you approach higher elevation near Hwy 20.

As long as we aren't breaking any seasonal closure rules I'm open to trying it out.

Gregulator said As long as we aren't breaking any seasonal closure rules I'm open to trying it out.  

I believe these are county roads that go over BLM land and through a small section of the Tahoe National Forest. There are several residences on Lowell Hill Rd at the Hwy 20 end so I know it doesn't get closed at that end. I don't think there are any gates on that road. There are lots of side trails that are excellent for quading.

Greg, in February of 2009 my son and I did a run with the club on Chalk Bluff Road. Take a look at the pictures in the photo gallery to see what it was like then. My son has the white 85 Toyota pickup. He was 17 at the time (me in green hat and green sweatshirt). I left my Jeep at home that trip. We couldn't make it all the way to Hwy 20 and we had to turn around. It took a long time to get all the rigs turned around. Kevin and John were on that run. It was Kevin's first run with the club. I think we could make it now but you never know until you try! I see we are in for a series of storms so conditions could change. They are expecting a low snow level tonight and a high snow level after that. I would be up for this run!

Gregulator said http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3800936.pdf I think if I'm reading this right, Forest Road 19 is closed for a majority of it after January 1st?  

Correct.  Any greyed out roads on the map are subject to the seasonal closure.  As long as the road isn't greyed out then it isnt subject to closure.  (Also as long as there isnt a specific forest order mandating closure)  It looks like the lower portions and main paved portions of 19 don't close though.  Tahoe NF also posts road info here but might not match conditions on the ground: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tahoe/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5299395

In general, El Dorado, Tahoe Basin, and Stanislaus will close early if there is rainfall/snow (which they did on the 1st of dec).  Tahoe NF proper generally wont issue early closure and sticks to what is printed on the map.

Mendocino national forest outside of willows (west side of the valley) reaches up to the snow (7k+) with fewer closure restrictions.  Bit of a drive but doable.

Links to specific closure info sources are included below.  (Kevin, any chance we can make a "Trail/Road Conditions" thread under the "Trail Talk" catagory?)

El Doroado: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/eldorado/home/?cid=fsbdev7_019037

Tahoe: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tahoe/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5299395

Tahoe Basin: http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPyhQoY6BdkOyoCAGixyPg!/?ss=110519&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=STELPRDB5291839&navid=091000000000000&position=Feature.Art_ContentLnk&ttype=detail&pname=Lake%2520Tahoe%2520Basin%2520Mgt%2520Unit-%2520Home

Stanislaus: http://www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/stanislaus/recreation

Thanks Kris!!

I agree, a sub section might make a nice feature.

And Jeff, I say we give those routes a shot in January/February.

kris_olof said 

It looks like the lower portions and main paved portions of 19 don't close though.   

Forest Service Rd 19 is dirt right at the intersection of Lake Valley Road and FS Rd 19. This is not far off of I-80 at the Yuba Gap exit. At the other end, FS Rd 19 turns to dirt at the intersection of FS RD 19 and Texas Hill Rd. That is also the intersection where the pavement ends on Texas Hill Rd if you continue southeast towards the North Fork of the American River. However, as you go back towards I-80 on the paved section of Texas Hill Rd there is a very step and narrow section of the paved road that is extremely treacherous when the road is covered with snow or ice. It is off camber, has a cliff and the road is steep enough that you might not be able to stop. And to top it off, there is a hairpin turn at the bottom of the hill as you head back towards I-80. I tried to make it up that hill early last spring from the Emigrant Gap side but only got up the hill a short distance before making a wise decision to back down. The off camber caused me to slide towards the cliff as I went up and then back down. Backing down was not fun and I only went a short way up the hill to begin with. If you are thinking of running FS Rd 19 I would recommend going in from the Emigrant Gap side because if you can't make it up that hill, you certainly don't want to try going down it by taking FS Rd 19 from Lake Valley back to Emigrant Gap. Or if you do go in from Lake Valley, you might have to backtrack to Lake Valley if that hill is unsafe to go down.

Gregulator said Thanks Kris!! I agree, a sub section might make a nice feature. And Jeff, I say we give those routes a shot in January/February.  

Count me in!

Jeff_R said

Forest Service Rd 19 is dirt right at the intersection of Lake Valley Road and FS Rd 19. This is not far off of I-80 at the Yuba Gap exit. At the other end, FS Rd 19 turns to dirt at the intersection of FS RD 19 and Texas Hill Rd. That is also the intersection where the pavement ends on Texas Hill Rd if you continue southeast towards the North Fork of the American River. However, as you go back towards I-80 on the paved section of Texas Hill Rd there is a very step and narrow section of the paved road that is extremely treacherous when the road is covered with snow or ice. It is off camber, has a cliff and the road is steep enough that you might not be able to stop. And to top it off, there is a hairpin turn at the bottom of the hill as you head back towards I-80. I tried to make it up that hill early last spring from the Emigrant Gap side but only got up the hill a short distance before making a wise decision to back down. The off camber caused me to slide towards the cliff as I went up and then back down. Backing down was not fun and I only went a short way up the hill to begin with. If you are thinking of running FS Rd 19 I would recommend going in from the Emigrant Gap side because if you can't make it up that hill, you certainly don't want to try going down it by taking FS Rd 19 from Lake Valley back to Emigrant Gap. Or if you do go in from Lake Valley, you might have to backtrack to Lake Valley if that hill is unsafe to go down.  

That's what I had read was to take Road 19 in from Lake Valley.  So that would be my plan, but according to the vehicle use map it will close soon if it's not already closed...

count me in!