Aliso Wood Canyon

[ChrisG]

Anyone ridden there lately? My bro rode yesterday from the bottom. Apparently they are in the process of grading the lower fire road (Wood Canyon) and it's loose as hell right now. Pretty much a sand pit all the way to Cholla. Haven't seen it so don't know how bad it actually is. FYI

[dubjay]

I rode Aliso on Sunday. I rode up Cholla and down Mathis.

The sand isn't really that bad of a problem until you get right to the bottom of the hill going up to the top of Mathis. It's pretty bad there, but rideable. They did also seem to grade the hill going up to the top of Mathis.

[ChrisG]

Originally Posted by dubjay

I rode Aliso on Sunday. *I rode up Cholla and down Mathis.

The sand isn't really that bad of a problem until you get right to the bottom of the hill going up to the top of Mathis. *It's pretty bad there, but rideable. They did also seem to grade the hill going up to the top of Mathis.

They were grading the whole fire road yesterday. I also rode there on Sunday and it was fine then.

[CalEpic]

The fire roads have all been graded and are sandy in spots but ridable. A water truck through those sections would be nice. I rode there today and when climbing Cholla - WTF - Some A-HOLE drove a 'dozer up the entire length of the trail. broke out some of the rocky sections, trashed cactus and bushes like crazy. I was seriously PO'd. At the end of my ride, I went to the Ranger office to find out what the deal was and was told it was a mistake by the operator of the 'dozer yesterday. They are going to try to repair the trail tomorrow. I'm thinking, how the hell are they going to replace broken out rock and shredded bushes? How could someone be so retarded.

I was going to check out Rock-it and Lynx but it was getting too hot and I was out of water. Hopefully they are OK

C

[TURNERob]

That dozer operator should be shot

[ChrisG]

Originally Posted by CalEpic

The fire roads have all been graded and are sandy in spots but ridable. A water truck through those sections would be nice. I rode there today and when climbing Cholla - WTF - Some A-HOLE drove a 'dozer up the entire length of the trail. broke out some of the rocky sections, trashed cactus and bushes like crazy. I was seriously PO'd. At the end of my ride, I went to the Ranger office to find out what the deal was and was told it was a mistake by the operator of the 'dozer yesterday. They are going to try to repair the trail tomorrow. I'm thinking, how the hell are they going to replace broken out rock and shredded bushes? How could someone be so retarded.

I was going to check out Rock-it and Lynx but it was getting too hot and I was out of water. Hopefully they are OK

C

You've got to be f-ing kidding me???? My friend spoke to the dozer operator on Monday and asked him if he was going up Cholla and he said no. Un-freakin-believable!!!

[ChrisG]

Well, I had to go see it with my own eyes. As my fork is on it's way to Manitou for service, I had to hike in. I went up Pacific Park to the Canyon Vistas entrance (drops you right at the bottom of Cholla) and hiked up maybe a 3rd of the way up Cholla. Ugly. The tight turns are the worse, must be really tough to turn a bulldozer. It's all torn up. I didn't get to see the rocky sections but I can just imagine. It's a sad day. They've apparently graded Mathis as well, but they do that now and again so not a huge deal.

[ocrider]

i rode aliso today it sucked climbing on mathis. i stopped by cholla to check it out. it doesnt look good. the west ridge is all soft and loose 2. its boreing on that trail now

[arloburns]

Guys,

It's a shame that cholla got all tore up. I think within a few weeks it will be pretty much back to normal. I rode it on Monday and it was pretty bad... rode it again yesturday and it's already looking much better.

The bottom of west ridge going up to the top of mathis is like a friggin beach though.... tons of sand :-(

-Ralph

[dstepper]

This is the second time this year the State/County made a mistake running a blade on single track. The first was this spring when they “accidentally” bulldozed Deer Creek Trail in El Moro, now this...both proclaimed as mistakes. I am not impressed with our local land managers and county fire. They let the rains ruin trails and roads, then this! It does not take much to walk the roads in the rain; a few shovels of dirt here and there can divert the rain runoff off saving the road…. example is the bottom of Mathis…road gone, closure of access. I worked as a logger for years in Nor-cal and we walked the roads during rains. Had we been as negligent as our local land managers, we would have been fined and/or lost our jobs. And they say our bikes damage trails. I think they owe us some new single tract! End of rant.

[ChrisG]

Originally Posted by dstepper

This is the second time this year the State/County made a mistake running a blade on single track. *The first was this spring when they “accidentally” bulldozed Deer Creek Trail in El Moro, now this...both proclaimed as mistakes. * I am not impressed with our local land managers and county fire. *They let the rains ruin trails and roads, then this! *It does not take much to walk the roads in the rain; a few shovels of dirt here and there can divert the rain runoff off saving the road…. example is the bottom of Mathis…road gone, closure of access. *I worked as a logger for years in Nor-cal and we walked the roads during rains. *Had we been as negligent as our local land managers, we would have been fined and/or lost our jobs. * And they say our bikes damage trails. I think they owe us some new single tract! *End of rant.

What's up Dean? Are you following me here from AM-B?

ChrisG (lidden)

[mingo1]

Aliso Woods has been plowed and graded everywhere. It is a shame that the trails have been smoothed out and made into quick sand. I guess they have to do what is needed to allow fire crews to access the area. The only trails not touched are Lynx and Rock-it. I was upset that they even plowed Cholla. Cholla is a mess. Downed plants and catus. Heavy quick sand all the way up. Several areas not ridable until it packs a little. What a shame. Pray for rain to pack some of this loose soil. Even Wood Canyon trail had been plowed. Some of the fun has been taken away for now. Bike til you drop. Later

[dstepper]

Chris

Yes I am following you...please don't tell any one.

I promise to leave you alone next week, I am leaving for a weeks worth of biking in the Eastern Sierras. Starting in Mammoth, then most of my time in Tahoe. Hoping Hole in the Ground is snow free.

[JamR]

Regarding the recent damage to the Cholla Trail:

I spoke with Stan Bengtson this morning (the Senior Ranger for Aliso-Woods), and have the straight scoop on what occurred on Cholla, and would like to dispel any miss-conceptions going about.

The damage on Cholla was not intentional, and was not any County attempt to turn a single-track into a fire road, or any attempt to sterilize a trail.

It was a simple but unfortunate error in judgment on the part of the equipment operator, but that being said; the equipment operator did not intentionally grade or blade Cholla. Basically he was doing legitimate work on Wood Canyon and Westridge, and instead of going through the back gate and up Rubber Ridges or the surface streets; he drove up Cholla to access the work area on Westridge, then drove back down when he was finished on Westridge.

The Rangers and the County immediately reacted to the situation and are at this very moment making a concerted attempt to repair the damage and bring Cholla back to a single-track line. It is also their intent at the completion of the work to brush or sweep the trail from top to bottom in order to expose the clean hard-pack beneath so the park users can enjoy a clean route up and down Cholla.

From my experience I have always been able to see a silver lining in situations like this and Cholla is no different. I believe that two positive things will come out of this mistake. First of all, the County will probably have a more heightened awareness of these issues in the future when heavy equipment is being operated in a wilderness park, and hopefully there will be increased education and training of the personnel who operate heavy equipment in a wilderness park, and they will me more cautious in and around hiking/riding trails and sensitive habitats.

Secondly, Cholla has been in need for quite some time of some major work (especially trail narrowing), and with the current restoration work going on to repair the damage; and with some additional volunteer labor once the moisture content of the soil comes up this fall; we might be able to actually get Cholla back to the true single-track condition that it was 10 years ago.

Basically we need to at least give credit where it is due and should let the Rangers know that we are grateful for their quick and decisive decision to immediately jump in and start the repairs on Cholla. Kudos’ to Rangers Stan Bengtson and Ed Bridges for moving so quickly on this.

We should all make it a point to simply introduce ourselves to all of the Rangers in the parks where we ride, and let them know that we are out here to help in the parks whenever needed.

On a final note, they are also going to put out some signage on Mathis to warn riders of the sandy conditions on the descent, so no one gets caught by surprise.

Don’t ever hesitate to get involved in helping to maintain our parks, or make constructive comments and suggestions to the Rangers and the County.

I hope this helps to put some minds at ease regarding Cholla, and as always; my e-mail is always posted if anyone wants to get a hold of me.


Thanks


Adam, aka JamR

Adam.otb@cox.net

[ChrisG]

Well said Adam.

[mingo1]

Nice follow up. Great for caring about our trails. Happy Trail Riding.