California clear creek/woods ranch

[d36yzrider]

Sorry for beating a dead horse but with the recent clear creek news of it reopening to hikers does that mean they will have rangers there now? I currently ride around woods ranch and might get lost and end up on blm land should I be worried about getting a ticket from what I was told the blm had lost funding to patrol the area because nobody was there 

[1.21GW]

I would expect no change. ~1000 persons on a busy weekend will continue to enjoy without BLM interference.

Read: http://www.southbayriders.com/forums/forums/144/

They can't even manage to accept digital comments to their ROD, nor can they clearly state what is required to submit them. Appears the answer changes by the minute.

My guess is that getting the morning coffee started is big accomplishment.

[ADAM_3rd]

         there are leo presence there,just ride the legal county road with your plated bike and you will be fine.

[resinlips]

 Nothing has changed, continue to ride it. It makes sense that after they issue permits for documented visitors to the area, that the ranger presence would be stepped up. If you are spotted and don't stop for law enforcement thats the worst thing you could do, evading is a far greater and embarrassing penalty than yielding to the LEO, signing the ticket, and having a nice rest of the day.

[mudguy]

I'm totally confused by Clear Creek. I've never been there, but it is supposedly closed, yet it's not because 1000 people are there, but maybe it's opening again, depending on some lawsuit?

 

Can I drive down there and ride anything half decent without ending up in handcuffs?

[TheNorCalOutlaw]

I'm totally confused by Clear Creek. I've never been there, but it is supposedly closed, yet it's not because 1000 people are there, but maybe it's opening again, depending on some lawsuit?

 

Can I drive down there and ride anything half decent without ending up in handcuffs?

The actual park is closed yes. But since the roads going through the place are "county roads" they are obligated to keep the roads open, so they have never closed the gates/entrances to the park. In the old mining town Idria, which is at the rear of the park you can park and ride at a guy's property called the woods ranch. And you can ride straight into clear creek. People have been riding the creek since its closed and it is awesome. Beware of the rangers though, they know where you park so if he confronts you and stops you don't run. But if you see him from a top of a ridge, go the opposite way. I have never seen a ranger when I'm there. 

[4strokeridertt]

I'm totally confused by Clear Creek. I've never been there, but it is supposedly closed, yet it's not because 1000 people are there, but maybe it's opening again, depending on some lawsuit?

Can I drive down there and ride anything half decent without ending up in handcuffs?

You won't find anything half decent at Clear Creek. All of it is100 percent.

Truly the best place you ever rode a motorcycle.

Edited March 11, 2014 by 4strokeridertt

[d36yzrider]

Rode there yesterday (tuesday) no problems but the blm was out there with a backhoe doing something so I stayed away lol. Staged from a flat spot just above new Idria conditions were great 

[resinlips]

 Hearing today that a new gate was installed above Idria dam, just turns my stomach. The BLM has continued to simply move forward with they're agenda regardless of any protest, new findings, County supervisor's concerns, economic impact, land and mining claim owners, or the opinion of the State Parks OHV division.

  When the head of a government agency can request that certain wording be left out of an environmental impact statement, and the EPA oblige's by taking out the scientific findings of "the risk could be less, and perhaps zero" it boils my blood. What they are doing is ,morally and ethically wrong, and I will continue to recreate inside the so called "area of critical environmental concern". There is not a single documented case of any type of activity in Clear Creek causing any form of lung disease since all of the Mercury mining took place, decades of harvesting the serpentine soils, and 50 plus years of hardcore OHV recreation.

[KDXRon]

 Hearing today that a new gate was installed above Idria dam, just turns my stomach. The BLM has continued to simply move forward with they're agenda regardless of any protest, new findings, County supervisor's concerns, economic impact, land and mining claim owners, or the opinion of the State Parks OHV division.

  When the head of a government agency can request that certain wording be left out of an environmental impact statement, and the EPA oblige's by taking out the scientific findings of "the risk could be less, and perhaps zero" it boils my blood. What they are doing is ,morally and ethically wrong, and I will continue to recreate inside the so called "area of critical environmental concern". There is not a single documented case of any type of activity in Clear Creek causing any form of lung disease since all of the Mercury mining took place, decades of harvesting the serpentine soils, and 50 plus years of hardcore OHV recreation.

Well said... Spot on.

[TheNorCalOutlaw]

 Hearing today that a new gate was installed above Idria dam, just turns my stomach. The BLM has continued to simply move forward with they're agenda regardless of any protest, new findings, County supervisor's concerns, economic impact, land and mining claim owners, or the opinion of the State Parks OHV division.

  When the head of a government agency can request that certain wording be left out of an environmental impact statement, and the EPA oblige's by taking out the scientific findings of "the risk could be less, and perhaps zero" it boils my blood. What they are doing is ,morally and ethically wrong, and I will continue to recreate inside the so called "area of critical environmental concern". There is not a single documented case of any type of activity in Clear Creek causing any form of lung disease since all of the Mercury mining took place, decades of harvesting the serpentine soils, and 50 plus years of hardcore OHV recreation.

A new gate to stop people from getting into the park? From what i understand they legally can't do that.

anyways screw them…if so they just created one more hole in the fence...

[resinlips]

 The "legality" of gating the County road is something that is being disputed by lawyers in the know.

 

Since the County abandoned the maintenance of these roads for decades, the BLM may have a legal standing to Gate them.

 

Regardless of any new gates, riding will continue, and the gates will be vandalized on a regular basic potentially locking authorized user's inside the Creek causing all kinds of grief.

The gates are a complete fail and waste of time and money, similar too their decontamination facility, countless miles of un-needed fencing, a tainted and biased environmental impact statement , and their long drawn out delayed record of decision.

Edited March 13, 2014 by resinlips