Crown King - Summer 2012

Probably cancelled unless someone wants to take over the OP


**You can pick more than one option in the poll if you are more flexible**

When: June 22-24 (Fri-Sun). Drive up Friday morning, get to the top by noon, and have a full day and a half with 2 nights of relaxation, wheeling, etc.

Where: Note that this is a 4x4 high clearance recommended trail, starting by Lake Pleasant and heading up into the Bradshaw Mountains for about 35 miles. We start on Castle Hot Springs road and proceed north until we hit forest. We will be returning down the east side of the mountain, which is very 2wd friendly. Those who want to join up at the top to camp but do not want to take the back way are welcome to meet us via the east approach.

What: Wheeling, camping, cookout, whatever we want. The plan is to wheel up the south side of the Bradshaws up to Horsethief Basin lake, where there is a campground a mile from the lake. Last year we had plenty of room and open sites to have a group of about a dozen of us. Probably looking at 2 groups - one heading up Friday, and another heading up Saturday. Anyone can leave whenever they want to, based on their schedules. The trip down the front side is easy and a car could make it.

Campground: Hazlett Hollow. $10 per day (24 hour span, not per overnight), per campsite (not per vehicle). There is a self-pay station at the entrance to the campground, with envelopes. Put your money in the envelope, tear off your stub, put the envelope in the lock box, and clip your receipt stub to the wooden sign at your campsite. There are concrete-based "lean-to" style shelters that are big enough for 2 people to sleep/sit in. Lots of bugs, so bring a broom to clean it out before you use it, or just pitch a tent near it. Each campsite can probably host 2 or 3 trucks and probably 2-3 tents per site. There is a "bathroom" in the middle of the campground, so ladies will have facilities. There is a pump there with water for washing up, but I wouldn't drink it. More info here

Trail Conditions: Last summer it had been recently graded on the last 1/3 of the trail so some of the agressive Prerunners probably could have made it (especially with rear lockers). It's always tough to tell after a full winter how the trail conditions will be though. The 2wd folks could always drive up the front side and meet at the top, like we did last year, too.

Campfire Restriction Update: TBD



Friday Group

• Seabass (Adam) +1 - lead 3 days
• staticsquelch (Steve) 3 days
• 97yota4wd (Eric) 3 days
• Moose1988 (Josh) 3 days
• YumaTRD (David) 3 days
• Kyouto42 (Jake) 2 days
• Greensystemsgo (Nick) 3 days (making him take PTO whether he likes it or not)
• Specalt (3 days)

Saturday Group (still need a leader)

• OuTkAsT (Josh) 2 days
• 2012_Tacoman_AZ (Jason) +1 2 days
• ColtsTRD (Scott) 2 days
• TacoBran (Brandon) 2 days

 

ME ME ME ME ME ME

I need to revisit that dam hill that fed my sheeet up!


dont make it too soon

 

I'm thinking mid to late June. It's going to depend on what happends with Steve's truck after the rear-ender, too. Either he will be breaking in a new truck or beating the crap out of his fixed truck. We'll know pretty soon.

 

I'm In. For a three day trip too. I'd like to fish and hike around this time. Cook some dinners, enjoy some fires, etc.

 

^^^ exactly. I don't want to drive up, set up camp, have one night to rest, and have to break camp the next morning. I'm hoping more will want to do the 3 day trip as well. I want a full day to enjoy the woods.

 

I'm up for a three day trip. I just need to update my camping equiptment

 

Same here. It should be enough time to get the couple things I need. I might have my sliders by then too

 

im up for a 3 day, could we camp by some water though?? so we can camp and fish some how without having to drive or anything??

edit: i wouldnt be able to leave friday morning though, would have to be friday evening

 

The only fishing was in that crappy little Horsethief Basin lake. No thanks. This trip is for wheelers/campers only. If you want to fish, you're gonna have to drive somewhere not close to here.

That's why I started the thread over a week ago for the June 1-3 camp/fish trip up to Knoll Lake up on the Rim. We'll be 200 yards from plenty of trout fishing right by the campsite.

 

yeah that little lake blew. ill have this on my callender but doubt my truck will be "done"

 

Damn. Forgot about that other camping trip. I'm sub'd too. Lol. I'd honestly rather do Crown King tho if i could only pick one. The drive up is awesome, and just chillin by the fire with some brews and buddies.... Nothin better

 

I just ran crown king about a month ago. They recently graded even more of the trail, the main step up that everyone used to stack rocks at to get their poor little heeps over is now non existent. If you never ran the trail you wouldn't even know it was ever there. The bypasses are still there and still make the trail fun tho

 

I know what spot your talking about.. they really got ride of that? did they fill it in or something cuz that was all rock for the most part. bummer

me too man! i definitely want to go again. hopefully it wont rain this time and we can enjoy ourselves. lol wanna share a spot again? haha

 

Lol yeah it did, I got shit for sleep tho. felt like I just sumo wrestled a sweaty man, then laid down in a water bed that had a leak.

Sweet.. it will be the coolest spot... Again. Lol

 

I'm in for this. Let's just hope the truck is done and ready. If not I'll ride with you Adam.

 

Yup completely filled in with dirt. It was the only challenge of the whole trail that didn't have a bypass. It was just before where the mines are.

 

Yeah they filled that thing in early last summer. It was the one spot left on that trail that I wanted to conquer and it was gone. The trail is really fun now, with no real worries of any major hang-ups. Stockers can make it, but 4x4 recommended with at least some halfway decent tread. High clearance helps but if you know how to wheel right, you won't need it.

I think this would be a blast to be a 3 day trip. The trip home on Sunday is easy because it goes down the front way. We had a good time stopping at that grimey burger joint in Crown King on the way home, too.

Everyone waterproof your tents and go through your gear to be comfortable. Remember that they had those little lean-to shelters, too. I used mine for all of my gear and to have a dry place to sit. I would expect afternoon/evening rains just about any given day up there during the summer. If we're lucky, it will be dry and comfortable.

 

So it looks like a 3 day trip is leading the pack. That's what I want to do.

Proposed date: June 22-24 (Fri-Sun). Drive up Friday morning, get to the top by noon, and have a full day and a half with 2 nights of relaxation, wheeling, etc.

 

Maybe we do two shifts then. A Friday group and then a secondary Saturday group. The Friday folks could stake out a block of that campground up by the lake so there's room for everyone.

 

Once we make that determination, I'll create a section in the OP for the dual run.