Santa Ana's trail conditions(BS, Harding/MS/HJ/Trabuco/WHT, etc..,) >Updated 01-18-15

Discussion in 'Trail Conditions' started by Matt in Temecula, Mar 31, 2012.

  1. Matt in Temecula

    Matt in Temecula Member

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    Upper Holy Jim was a bit jacked a few days ago, with a rain rut down the center of most of it.
     
  2. mike001

    mike001 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for all the updates, riders.

    Main Divide from Holy Jim to the top of Upper Joplin is snow-free; Upper Holy Jim is in good shape with just one majorly rutted spot.
     
  3. genusmtbkr5

    genusmtbkr5 STR Moderator

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    UHJ was worked on by one of the WS members in November, not sure if he or Jeroen will go back up this week. They usually do most of the trail maintenance on UHJ.

    LHJ and Trabuco was brushed last month, Feb 18th. Both trails should be good to go for the VQ/CC.
     
  4. krunner44

    krunner44 Member

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    Blackstar Getting Grated

    Just an FYI, B* has been grated, (so far) from the bottom up to just shy of the first Cattle Crossing (that little paved section). No closure signs have been posted, so I went ahead and rode it. It was nice to have the ruts filled in, but not so nice to have a soft, loose coating of dirt. A bit of rain would do it well, but it doesn't look like that'll be coming in the near future. In the mean time, maybe lots of bikes will help pack it down. Did my part to help that this morning. :)

    Happy riding!
     
  5. NO GO

    NO GO Expert Beginner

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    I rode this Thursday morning and while I appreciate the intent, riding up hill in 3" of silt / soft and loose dirt isn't any fun. Hopefully there will be a spring rain or a water truck out there in the near future. Be ready to look like a powdered donut when you finish.
     
  6. melster

    melster Member

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    Rode there last Saturday, and yeah, it was loose alright.
     
  7. kioti

    kioti Active Member

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    I don't understand the question.
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    Can you imagine the mud a good soaking's going to produce? This might be a good time to mix in some gravel so it won't be such a nightmare after it rains..
     
  8. glance2

    glance2 Member

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    So true. On the lower part of Sunset Ridge in La Verne, the soil was clay-like and very much like Blackstar when drying out. They laid in gravel about a year ago and now it's very nice after it rains.
     
  9. Varaxis

    Varaxis Trail Ninja

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    Why stop at that suggestion? They should sweep off all the nasty loose dust/sand/dirt and put a good thick layer of high quality dirt, the kind used for pump tracks, and go crazy and contour it like a slalom or 4x dealio, or at least like a pumptrack. :D
     
  10. MnMDan

    MnMDan Member

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    Sounds like fire season prep to me...wouldn't be surprised to see more work done.....maybe its time to petition the forest service to "legalize" some of the existing singletrack and try to link the various sections just up/downslope from the road.
     
  11. Bonsainut

    Bonsainut Was ich nicht weiß...

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    Been riding Main Divide to Santiago Peak last few weekends. Have to say I have never seen conditions from 4 Corners to the Peak any better. From 4 Corners to Modjeska Lookout it is pretty tight, with only about 100 yards of loose chunky stuff. From Joplin trail head to the peak is tight the entire way. Smooth sailing!
     
  12. Duke

    Duke New Member

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    Question about Trabuco Fire Road: I know that it's be re-done since the floods last year. Before the floods, it was pretty much not drivable, unless you had something with an absolute butt-load of clearance. And even then, the potholes were pretty hardcore.

    What condition is it in now?? Would I be able to drive through it with a regular small car that doesn't have much clearance??
     
  13. oskin100

    oskin100 Member

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    Depends on how much you care about that car. Can you? Of course, but I wouldn't in my own care at least.
     
  14. dcrfx

    dcrfx Member

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    Drove up to Holy Jim trailhead a couple weeks ago ~4.5 miles on dirt. You can make it in a car but will have to go very slow and pick your lines carefully to avoid bashing your oilpan. You can probably pedal it up faster, and can definetly come down allot faster on a bike.
     
  15. SXP

    SXP Member

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    I drove my 2008 Civic to the Holy Jim trail head during the VQ race. As suggested above, pick your lines carefully and go slow. I didn't scrape/bottom out once. Approach/depart the multiple water bars/breaks (humps) at an angle. Just be slow and careful.

    I came down Holy Jim on Sunday (5/27). The trail's going to need some attention soon, especially in light of the late rains, as the vegetation is starting to spill over onto the trail and I was getting face-slapped a lot. Apart from that, the trail itself is in good condition.
     
  16. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej Well-Known Member

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    Per Geoladders post......

    Warrior Member spent a few hours up there this weekend brushing up to Main Divide.
     
  17. SXP

    SXP Member

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    Agree - I did pass someone with cutting implements doing some trail maintenance, and did see a bunch of cuttings trail side, but was still doing a fair amount of ducking/dodging to avoid getting face-slapped.
     
  18. genusmtbkr5

    genusmtbkr5 STR Moderator

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    Holy Jim was also brushed top to bottom along with Trabuco in Feb before the VQ.

    IMG_3015.jpg IMG_3017.jpg IMG_3018.jpg
    IMG_3019.jpg

    Just FYI: We(the WS) go out every year to get the course ready just before the VQ/CC which is help in early April. Looks like we'll need to brush it farther back this Fall/Winter.
     
  19. melster

    melster Member

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    I rode my bike up and down from Live Oak to the HJ trailhead this past Saturday. I was definitely leaving cars and Jeeps behind on the way back to Live Oak.
     
  20. Duke

    Duke New Member

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    I rode Holy Jim to Main Divide to Trabuco yesterday. Sorry I don't have any pics. But I just wanted to report that the trails are in pretty good condition. At times they are a LITTLE overgrown. And unfortunately, the overgrowth is usually poison oak. For example, at the bottom of Trabuco.

    The one big annoyance about these trails right now are the BUGS! They're all over the place and bug spray (100% deet) doesn't get rid of them. I had at least 10-12 flies surrounding me throughout the entire ride.

    But yeah, the soil is in good condition.

    About Trabuco Fire Road: The first half of it is in excellent condition and any car can get through it without a problem. Once you cross the CNF boundary, the trail has more ruts, holes, rocks and weird turns. It could probably be driven through with any car, but depending on what car you have, you might have to go extremely annoyingly slow in several sections.
     

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