Washington Entiat/Devils Backbone trail conditions?

[dilyb]

I'm looking to ride to Lake Chelan next Saturday 9/14 and wondering if either Pot Peak or 25 Mile crk trails are open?  

 

Has anyone ridden either of these trails from Devils Backbone down to Lake Chelan this year yet?  One of them had a lot of burned out trees from a fire 2-3 years ago and they were falling like toothpicks ...

 

Thanks!

[dkenck]

Rode Devils backbone to Stormy and then Pot Peak first weekend in August. Tried 25 mile creek east to west. Didn't get far. Huge washout took out 50 ft of trail. It hadn't been logged out either. I would like to ride 25 mile creek from Anthem Creek East and try and log it out and bust through.

 

Lake Creek, the backbone, Pot peak were all awesome. The evidence is here:

 

http://dandxrman.smugmug.com/Trail-Dual-Sport-Rides/Lake-Wenatchee-Chelan/Aug-3rd-2013-Entiat-Devils/30988616_f3BSJF#!i=2680178611&k=pbdpgCV

 

later

 

danny

[trailmeisterjoe]

Nice ride report Danny ?

 

 

Joe

[n16ht5]

LennyK and I rode the big loop... Lake Creek CG - Stormy - Snowberry - Lost Peak - and back. Cleared about a dozen or so trees from the storms.. all good now... except the lower 25mi creek trail washout and the short leg from Windy Camp up to Stormy. When they made the fire break just about Windy they obliterated the trail. If you take the south leg to the road it is fine though. Only saw one other set of tracks up to Angle and that was it.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2013 by n16ht5

[n16ht5]

 

Edited September 9, 2013 by n16ht5

[Lenny K]

Sore, bruised, tired...can't wait to do it again! 72 miles, a good day.

[dilyb]

Great pix and report guys!  And thanks for the trail clearing.  I've also heard that Alder isn't open which really surprises me as it's back in the Mad River system and usually gets LOTS of traffic ... can't imagine what would close it ... any news on that?

 

Yep, Shady Pass rd has been a "bypass" for me several times as I typically ride from Alder to Chelan and back in one day.  On the way back if we're pushed for time, we take Shady back over from Chelan to the Entiat so we don't ride down Alder in the dark!

 

Keep those pix and trail reports coming ...  ?  ?

[Slackkinhard]

Great pix and report guys!  And thanks for the trail clearing.  I've also heard that Alder isn't open which really surprises me as it's back in the Mad River system and usually gets LOTS of traffic ... can't imagine what would close it ... any news on that?

 

Yep, Shady Pass rd has been a "bypass" for me several times as I typically ride from Alder to Chelan and back in one day.  On the way back if we're pushed for time, we take Shady back over from Chelan to the Entiat so we don't ride down Alder in the dark!

 

Keep those pix and trail reports coming ...  ?  ?

 

Lots of stuff came down in the recent storms. Even the upper Mad River trail had a HUGE tree down shortly on the way.  Lots of folks up clearing yesterday, so should be fine by this weekend. Upper portion of Billy Ridge rutted out DEEP in spots. Swallowed whole bikes in 4" wide 2' deep ruts.  Need folks to ride the rail some more to fill 'em up

[dilyb]

I get it ... yep, "clear trails" are a movin' target ... I was clearing in the Entiat one weekend on Saturday on a 3 mile stretch and when I went back out Sunday morning to clear beyond my 3 mile marker I had to cut another 5 trees on the trail I'd just cleared the prior day!  That was the August 10/11 and there were some serious lightning/thunder shows going on both those nights.  Thanks!

[Randy Nilles]

Looking to make a trip over there the last week in September.  We will be camped at Fox creek for 10 days plan to ride the Mad River and Devils Backbone sides.  Keep posting what is clear and what is not.  We will pack a saw if needed, but would rather not if don't have to.  Thanks for all the continuous work up there guys!

[Slackkinhard]

some good reads about Ardenvoir

 

http://www.pbase.com/mad_monte1/ardenvoir&page=all

 

 

btw, what happened to the license plates, and when did the pumps move?

Edited September 10, 2013 by Slackkinhard

[Lenny K]

some good reads about Ardenvoir

 

http://www.pbase.com/mad_monte1/ardenvoir&page=all

 

 

btw, what happened to the license plates, and when did the pumps move?

 

How are the burgers at Cooper's?

[Slackkinhard]

How are the burgers at Cooper's?

Good!  I had the salmon burger last time I was in.  Personally, I like to bolt down there after goin fishin at o'dark thirty, get some breakfast and then head out onto the trails for the day!  I bought a Cooper's Store t-shirt a couple rides ago....now I where it as my jersey ?

[Cycle_Path]

Upper portion of Billy Ridge rutted out DEEP in spots. Swallowed whole bikes in 4" wide 2' deep ruts.  Need folks to ride the rail some more to fill 'em up

That was what we encountered at Taenum last weekend riding up from the shelter. Taenum!!!

All these limited trails getting torn to hell more and more every year makes me seriously think about goung "adventure riding" only soon.

[Slackkinhard]

That was what we encountered at Taenum last weekend riding up from the shelter. Taenum!!!

All these limited trails getting torn to hell more and more every year makes me seriously think about goung "adventure riding" only soon.

 

If ya think back, you'll remember it's always been like this.  When the downpours come that water has to go somewhere.  I agree for a time it makes trails more challenging, but over time those challenging areas smooth out and other challenging areas appear. Sometimes it takes 3-5yrs for the cycle to play out, but I recently went back to some Socal trails I built and rode as a kid....still there. Some of the areas that were super hard are now easy, and some of the easy areas are now hard. Evolution on the trail is a good thing.  It's our old bodies that wear out ?

[Cycle_Path]

If ya think back, you'll remember it's always been like this.  When the downpours come that water has to go somewhere.  I agree for a time it makes trails more challenging, but over time those challenging areas smooth out and other challenging areas appear. Sometimes it takes 3-5yrs for the cycle to play out, but I recently went back to some Socal trails I built and rode as a kid....still there. Some of the areas that were super hard are now easy, and some of the easy areas are now hard. Evolution on the trail is a good thing.  It's our old bodies that wear out ?

I am sure your right. I think it was loose already and drizzling that made the dirt near impossible. You know its bad when your trials tire at 6 psi just digs and digs and never catchs.

[Lenny K]

Can't ride this weekend...vid time!

 

[BlakeLpd5]

I rode this area recently.  I had NO IDEA what I was in for.  Just a quick thank you to all of you that have put in the work this year to clear out the trails.  They were in great shape, and after riding this, and taking it all in, I think this was my favorite dirtbike trip ever. 

[trailmeisterjoe]

Blake, nice seeing you out there with the other guys from "down south".  Definitely a great place to ride.

 

Joe

Edited September 22, 2013 by trailmeisterjoe

[guns_equal_freedom]

Like I said in my Devils Backbone post from earlier this year, those fires were not crown fires, they were ground fires.

 

Ground fires burn on and under the ground.

They burn the duff on the ground.

These types of fires are slow moving and are hot.

They burn the insides of rotted trees out.

Until someone climbs uphill of the trails and starts cutting down the trees with their roots or trunks burnt out there are going to be trees falling downhill across the trails for years to come.

I would not ride any of those trails during a wind storm or during / after a big rain storm. 

 

Crown fires burn the tops of the trees, most of the time that does not kill them.

However, it does create some serious snags and widow maker limbs.

 

I used to fight fires in the summer and build / maintain trails in the winter in SoCal.

The land manager would send out a forester to survey the areas where we were going to do post fire trail maintenance in order to mark the dangerous trees.

On very rare occasions when the trees were so dangerous (based on size or location) that they would use dynamite to bring them down.