O'Neill Park Trail Conditions

I went and checked out TC Trail today. Damage starts south of Coto Gate Crossing.

There are many small slides up on the Chiquito Ridge section with a couple that go all the way across the trail.



One large washout:



The Downhill has some new ruts:



The road at the bottom of the hill before the ST starts:



This is just past the bridge underpass (you can get around to the right).



There is about a 100' section of trail that is now in the creek.



I had planned on checking out the crossings down in Arroyo Trabuco but this is what the creek looks like down near Oso. Probably 2' deep and still flowing pretty strong. The crossings are probably pretty trashed.



Let me know if anyone wants to head down next week and start cleaning up.

 

Wow, I will find another area to ride, Thanks

 

Eric, thanks for posting the pictures. Was just showing my son the damage. He's ridden those trails with me.

Thanks, Again.

Daniel

 

Trail update:

Bell View (Robinson Ranch) - Trail is dry and ridable.

West Ridge - The drainage just past the rest area is trashed.





Past the 1st gate it starts to get wet. The Valley past Gate #2 is a mud pit.

Ladera Ridge Trail - Most of the trail looks pretty good but there are two sections that are undercut and will probably go with the next storm. There is one large slide across the trail but you can make it through.



I went and took another look at Arroyo Trabuco and it still has too much flow to get across.

 

Thanks Waldo and Ericfoltz for the up date, Lots of trail work to be done for the Rwanda race in April.

 

From SHARE:
“@OCParks: Peters Canyon Regional Park has reopened again!”

 

I finally made it across Arroyo Trabuco down at Oso. There's some good news and some bad news.

Bad news: Most of Arroyo Trabuco Trail from Oso to the start of the Jungle is gone.

Just past the bridge. This is where the road used to be.



This is what used to be the second creek crossing. You can see the road in the upper right.



This where the road used to be before the last creek crossing before the junction with Tijeras Creek Trail.



This is the new creek crossing where Tijeras Creek Trail meets Arroyo Trabuco Trail.



This is where Arroyo Trabuco Trail used to enter the Jungle about 100' North of the junction with Tijeras Creek Trail.



This is where the first creek crossing in the jungle used to be.



This is just past that little drop in the jungle.



The good news: The parts of the trail that survived are in pretty good shape and we should be able to put together some reroutes. I was able to ride the sections in the new creek bed so once we can reestablish the entrances to the remaining sections of the jungle trail and clear a little debris it should be mostly ridable.

The crossings will take some effort, the banks are all in the 4-6' range.

 

O'Neill Park Trail Work 1-12-11

I received an email from John aka KeepsWhatHappens about trail work at O'Neill. Usually OC Parks sends out an email to their "General Volunteers" of Adopt the Park, otherwise none of these gets posted out to the public. Hopefully that will change as there is way too much to do.

O'Neill has hired a 3rd party to clear some of the mud around the campsites as we saw heavy equipment there. 4 of us work on sections of Vista(multi use), Hoffman's Homestead and Coyote Canyon Trail(both are hiking and equestrian only).

Here is John and Ron getting ready to head out:

Most of the work on Vista was done by SHARE and others last Sunday on the 9th. We just finished and worked on some drainage and the areas that were still too wet last Sunday.

There was a huge slide, but the Sunday crew worked on it and made it passable again.



Like I mentioned, a lot of the work was already done on Sunday so we just went in an filled in some ruts, cleared the drainage more and shaped up some of the waterbars. Note the fresh tire tracks #-o




This section of Vista was rutted so we filled it in and shaped the turn a bit.




This a section of Coyote Canyon trail. As of now this is not open to bikes, but we are lobbying to get it opened as a multi use trail. Maybe the work the mountain bikers have been doing on it will bring it closer to reality.


Ron, Doug and John filling in ruts on Coyote.

 

Dying to ride Vista again, especially with the new improvements... thanks guys!

 

The O'Neill Rangers asked one of my fellow USFS trail volunteers, Randy aka Butcher, if we could help fix some of their trails. Most of the trails in the main part of the park have already been repaired by SHARE, Warrior's Society and OC Parks volunteers.

But after talking to Ranger Scott and getting updated from John Early, we learned that a couple areas on the southern section of Live Oak singletrack, near the water tanks, had been buried by mudslides and needed work.

This morning we met with Ranger Chris, did a quick assessment, and decided to make the repairs. After a total of 12 hours of work, the trail is in good shape once again.

 

It's been open, but any trail crossing the creek are closed:
Santiago Oaks Park: Park is now Open

Water continues to flow into the Villa Park Dam reservoir from various tributaries. The Flood Control Department may need to release water in the future. The trails crossing Santiago Creek could be closed for safety reasons during these releases.

Thanks for the update and work on Live Oak Jim. Keith sent some pics that Ranger Scott sent on the work that was done Sunday the 9th on Vista and Hoffman Homestead.


















Photo Credit: Scott F.

 

A few more pictures from the O'Neill trail work

Big slide

The Crew

Down tree

Trimming it up

A clear path

Lots of water

 

Lower Oneill Assessment 1-24-11

Note: Oneill Park is still closed.

Today Gene and I (OC Parks Volunteers) got permission from the Oneill ranger to patrol and assess the lower Oneill trail systems for storm damage. We submitted a report to them including these photos and this map. These are mine and Gene's opinions only (mostly mine) for recommendations mentioned on this map.

Below are the photos from today.


Downed tree. Location below.




This is the first crossing south of RSM Parkway bridge. Very wide now and a new trail forming.


Gene searching for a dry way across.


Breaking trail.


The canyon down near Tijeras Creek Golf Course looks very open now.


Some slides and rutting on the drop in makes for a nice singletrack now.


This section of trail is blown out and there is a 10' wide 2' deep lake in the trail.


Where did the trail go?


This where the old southern entrance to the Jungle used to be with the overhanging bamboo right north of a creek crossing.


Major trail blowout. Looks like Alaska or something now with a meandering river.




Gene takes the dry way across.


This is where the trail used to go. The creek bed is about 8-10 feet deeper now.


Looking south toward Oso Parkway bridge.


The beginning of the Tijeras Creek trail. Facing east.


Gene crossing Trabuco Creek.


The new work on Tijeras Creek held up nicely.


About 125' feet of Tijeras Creek Trail fell into the creek. There's already a re-route. We brushed it today to make it more passable.


Another downed tree on Tijeras Creek Trail. Re-route already built by someone. Location below.




Gene observing trail failure of Tijeras Creek trail under 241 crossing.


Big-time rutting on Disco's Drop or C3.


Trail failure on Bellview Trail. Location below.

 

Thanks, guys. Arroyo Trabuco/Tijeras Creek is my backyard, so I (and am sure many others in the Ladera Ranch/RSM area) would love to do whatever we can to get these trails back into good condition.

Are all these areas still officially closed? Not that that's stopping people, as noted. Would love to explore, but don't want to poach (that, and I've been too wimpy to attempt the first southern water crossing as high as it's been running).

 

Stay tuned for trail work in Oneill. It will be posted on STR. The entire park is still officially closed with one exception. Only the Arroyo Trabuco Mesa paved bike trail is open.

 

Nice work on that assessment, guys. Looks like it's time for some heavy equipment.

I don't know if the campground's fixed yet, but I do know most of the trails in the main part of O'Neill are repaired. Any word on getting that reopened, then moving on to the Arroyo?

 

Thanks Jim. Ranger Lorrie is suppose to do a go out and hike in with her supervisor to look at the damage. I guess it's a wait and see, but hopefully we can get parts of the trails open with the exception of the Arroyo which is mostly blown out now.

Here are the pics I took:

Another look at the down tree on Arroyo Trabuco


There is a way around it, but I'm sure park maintenance will remove it since it blocking access for emergency vehicles


You come to one of the many spots to cross


Just amazing how wide open it looks here now.








Rock slide area where the dirt trail parallels the paved bike path.


Looking down into Arroyo


Some areas are untouched...,


While other areas are completely unrecognizable. Here we enter a collapse section of the bamboo section of Arroyo Trabuco






Trail picked back up on the other side. John pictured here where the old trail use to be.

 

As we moved along and each time were amazed at the blown out areas. Huge trees toppled all over and water moving through and around.

I can't believe how much water is still flowing through here.




The trail picks up at the tree across the way.


Another section of trail that is no longer there.


Beyond this point is Oso Parkway and Waterworks. We turned back here so we could assess Tijeras Creek trail.


Looking back towards O'Neil Park on Arroyo Trabuco


As you can see, there are signs posted. This is at the Arroyo Trabuco and Tijeras Creek junction.


There was always a creek crossing here, but it's much wider and deeper now.


Lots of sand to ride or walk through now

 

Gene: what's your thought on completely rerouting the trail away from the river and the washouts.... is this possible?

 

Some of those re-routes are possible and would not be hard. As far as the crossings across the blown out areas, no way around it some of the them because it would bring the trail along slopes to avoid them and that could then fail by slides.

The areas where you used to cross creeks in the past are so much wider now and will have to be in unless Rangers and environmental/habitat experts will allow trees and brush cleared up high, then cross somewhere else anyway. I doubt they will allow that much of a re-route to happen. We'll just have to wait and see what they decide, but we certainly will let them know what we think is possible.