I originally posted this in the "Land use/Environmental issues" section, but I think it deserves to be posted here, as well.

Yesterday, I went for a mountain bike ride around the Miller Canyon loop. This area has been closed indefinitely because of the recent fires. Signs posted at the entrance say "Road Unsafe For Travel". I wanted to see for myself the damage. What I found was that Miller Canyon DID NOT burn, nor did anything around the Pinnacles staging area, or 2N17X. So what exactly us unsafe about the road? The USFS has closed down huge sections of the forest that were unaffected by the fire. If anybody has a rational explanation for this, I would like to hear it. As it is, I'll be doing some letter writing. This is totally unacceptable.

 

The usual excuse is that they closed off everything so the animals can live in the unburned area.

Good luck with your letter and let us know how it goes.

 

Okay, they finally opened more the forest area to motorized travel. Miller Canyon is open, although 2N17X is still considered closed because it provides access to the burn area. 2N33 is open all the way to SR-173. Crab Flats Road is open. 3N34 is closed below fisherman's camp trail. They actually put a gate there. By moving the closure down there, they made access to 1W17 legal again.

Pinnacles staging area is still closed. I asked why, since it's not in the burn area. The USFS ranger I spoke with told me that frankly, the big power brokers within the USFS are all 'logists of some sort, and most have a unified disdain for motorcycles, ATVs, etc. They'll use the fire as an excuse to close something, if they can, and they've done it. It's not scheduled to be reopened until December 2004.

I also asked why some of the most treacherous black diamond trails (John Bull, Horse Thief Canyon, 2N06X, etc.) are listed as "street legal only". The ranger thought that was a good question, and admitted he really didn't know they were listed as such. The ranger was openly receptive to suggestions on any changes that should be made. Because the existing roads are a hodge-podge mix of green sticker and street legal, there is a proposal to open much more areas to green sticker vehicles so that riders can go from Lake Silverwood to Big Bear without being in violation.

Looks like the pendulum may be swinging back our way. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

 

You say Miller cyn is open? How about Miller cyn staging area? I have never staged there. I bought a parking pass (adventure pass FEE) when I got my V. Now I can't ride where I planned for the year. Let us know what you find out. You have a great way of getting the info! ERIC.

 

Miller Canyon staging area is open. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] The Miller Canyon loop is an easy-going 11 mile ride. It's a good ride to bring kids on, but watch out for dirt bikers. I've only come across other riders a few times, but sometimes they're going a little fast around the corners.

 

We went for an exploration ride up there yesterday. All that is open is the route from Miller Canyon up to 3W14 (by the sewage plant), and 3W14 over to Hwy 173. EVERYTHING ELSE IS CLOSED! If you are looking for a performance ride or some kind of challenge, you will want to skip this one. But, if you want to take a leisurely ride with the kids, this will be a great route, especially now that the amount of traffic is greatly reduced.