MTB/off road in the san gabriels
Thread started by
soulbarn at 03.1.10 - 11:35 am
hey, I'm putting together a general trails report document on the condition of mountain bike trails in the San Gabriels post-Station Fire.
Has anyone ridden up there lately? If you don't mind, a brief sentence on what trail/when/what you saw would be super-helpful.
Also, if you found any trails unpassable, that would be nice to know.
Especially looking for info on El Prieto and Chilao.
- thanks -
dan
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the entire station fire burn area is closed to the public. Until Sept 2010!!!
Which is virtually the entire lower angeles forest.
I did el prieto before all this rain, after the first rain last november, and it was a mess, even the fire road from JPL over to it was a mess. The amount of mud, rock, etc., ending up down in there (its one of the bottom canyons) from above is hard to imagine.
Mount lowe toll road is closed up by the tunnel due to a total impassable washout.
I think Mt Wilson Toll Road skirts the burn area and is thus open. RedBox/Rincon and all that around Monrovia Peak, Cogswell Reservoir, etc, (I think Chileo is over there east of Wilson, not north of Wilson along Crest Hwy?) should all still be open but I havent been over there yet this year (definetly on my list for March).
I can't remember when Angeles Crest Hwy was last open to even get to Strawberry/Josephine , Red Box, etc. Thats all burn area central and you have a to drive by or park at ranger/fire stations.
The fine for being caught in the burn area is $5,000 (not a typo). However from what I heard they don't ticket and just tell you the forest is closed, leave.
When I ride in from Dillon Divide (top of Little Tujunga) along mendenhall ridge (east) the amount of devastation the Station fire produced is absoluting stunning. There is not a tree or a bush left between Action and Sunland. I highly recommend this route as there are no closure signs except for one down by the ranger station (thats closed on weekends) at the bottom of Little t. All the gates are open and there are no signs from trailhead to wherever, so this is a good place to claim ignorance if the rangers catch you. This route also gets nice dustings of snow (its 3500-6500 if you go all the way to Gleason) and thus has been spectacular (i've done it 4 times this winter, but not past iron mountain. I think I put some pics of that on the Mountaineerz thread. Highly Recommended but not for the weak).
Trail Canyon, Condor Peak, etc., I can't imagine they arent destroyed and impassable but dont know for sure. They lead down into Big Tujunga where everything is fried. Its beyond moonscape.
Lukens and everything on it is fried. Haines Canyon has to be washout wonderland, but I havent been to Lukens this season (because the whole mountain burned).
Hope thats useful!
ChaosRR03.1.10 - 7:35 pm
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