Monthly So Cal Off-Road Run

Santiago is open, was up there a few weeks ago. The rangers website is usually reasonably up to date. Coming from oc you could access it via Maple Springs. It’s a fire road but it’s the closet thing to do

Not really

 

As of Nov. 16, maple springs road is open which is what I normally drive when I get the off road itch but dont wanna drive super far.

 

Could put together a maple springs > Santiago peak > Bedford road run sometime soon ?

 

I'm 2wd so I'd be down before it gets too muddy

 

Same here.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/thanksgiving-mojave-trail-trip.695171/#post-24580114

if anyone has been through Mojave recently.

 

I haven't personally, but definitely check to see if there's any rain forecasted because the dry lake bed section (Soda Lake I think?) would probably not be very fun after a storm lol.

The rest of the trail should be fine though if there's rain assuming everyone is 4wd, though the water crossing at the end can get pretty deep. Have to backtrack several miles to get around it if it's impassable but I don't know if I've ever heard of that being the case

 

Yes, Soda Lake is it. The trip will be weather dependent and I'll have a few route options available if we need to detour due to weather. Last rains were a few weeks ago so I'm not too concerned.

Everyone going is 4x. We're still discussing if we want to even attempt the water crossing but it would be cool to at least see.

 

Anyone been from pioneer town to big bear recently? Coming home for a visit to jt in December and planning to do the trail with friends but I have no experience with snow wheeling

 

I've done the trek. It's a great time and easy trail if you avoid the Heartbreak trail route. I have not done it this season so lots may have changed since the last time I went. Snow wheeling is a different animal so don't go alone and make sure you have the proper equipment/contingency plan if things get weird.

 

Ya iv done the trail in the spring time and its nice and easy but I'm sure snow changes everything ... definitely don't like the sound of heart break trail lol

 

Was that the time you, me and @DarthPow were sliding all over the place trying to climb up that hill toward the end? Lol that was fun, but yeah it can get weird when there's snow. Especially later in the season when there's solid ice under the powder

 

Haha. Wasn’t that last season? I’ve ran it after that but not in the snow.

that was a fun time though. Would like to try it again. I’ve got new tires and a winch now so I’m much more prepared to party in the snow.

 

yep, I remember that, my OEM skid plate is still bent from that section lower down.

 

Water crossing has been filled in since before Halloween. I confirmed when I went Halloween weekend.

 

Yeah I read about that yesterday in another thread, that's a shame. Although that water was nasty AF the two times I went through it, so maybe it's for the best lol.

 

It's not a shame it's criminal if the rumors are true. Those rumors are that the NPS wasn't involved and never gave permission for it to be done. If that's true this ranks as one of the most fucked up things the off-road community has done.

 

I thought I had read that it got filled in after a storm washed a bunch of rock through the area?

If someone actually filled it in then that's beyond fucked, there's a big train bridge right there.. I would hope there's a camera that caught whoever did it

 

That's why I said rumor. Think about how many storms have come through that area in the last 100 years though. For this to be a natural event seems very unlikely to me. Although it is also a shit ton of work to truck in rock then plow/doze it into the crossing. I'll wait until there is official word from land managers what the cause is before I really go off. lol

 

Yeah I've been pondering over this now...for someone to actually fill that whole section in with rock would be a pretty damn big undertaking. But no storm has filled it in with rock before either.
I understand the crossing can be unpredictable, it was pretty shallow the first time I did it and the 2nd time was way deeper (water came in through my doors). But that's no excuse to fill the thing in, you can backtrack several miles and go around it no problem straight to the freeway.