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

WHT was blocked by some felled trees or maybe I was just lost! Wasn't too bad prior to the blockage.. went up Trabuco to WHT but was stopped ... saw another trail crossing the creek and heading up and away from the creek, up the right side (heading up towards main divide)... is that continuation of Trabuco canyon trail?? I only rode the easy portions of Trabuco/WHT.. not a single rider/hiker seen..

 

Trabuco starts flat then goes up pretty steep, especially after the fork with West Horsethief.....there is a trail marker there...you can't miss it.

 

thanks. makes sense. I must of missed the trail marker. tried to go left on WHT but was stopped by felled trees.. then took the right fork/Trabuco... that was steep... turned around ..if I continue, does that meet up w/ main divide, then come back down WHT.. any suggestions?

 

The preferred is up WHT which a hike-a-bike for many or Holy Jim, then down Trabuco. WHT is steeper than Trabuco or HJ

Here is a pic of the trail maker at the split of WHT/Trabuco

 

thanks! Wonder how I missed the sign.. will try the preferred route next time.. up WHT and down traduco...

 

I would much rather "ride" my bike up HJ then "push" it up WHT

 

So glad STR is back. Just read some of the old RR of Trabuco and WHT. Being new to the San Gabriel's, had no idea about the trails. Reading the old reports and comments here gives me a better understanding of the trails... Thanks!! Can't wait to "push" up WHT soon... this whole area was like hidden gold... all these years mountain biking and never explored. Is there a Christmas tree ride still? What a great tradition!

 

Nobody looks forward to pushing their bike up WHT.

1.5 miles / 1100' elevation gain, loose rock and shale, hot, exposed, no shade, and just feels like it goes on forever.

At least HJ you can ride up without much trouble.

Trabuco is climbable, but also has some steel loose sections. Just past the WHT turnoff is where Trabuco really starts to go up.

 

Not to be quarrelsome, but I think wht is is almost 1.5 miles in length. It's relentlessly working your Achilles' tendons the entire time and it's miserably wonderful when accomplished in snow. Have fun.

steve

 

After many years of doing the Holy Jim Trabuco loop clockwise I have been doing it counter clock wise and I think I enjoy it more. But this is the person that would rather ride up Motorway over Maple springs.

Dean

 

That is Trabuco Creek trail. It does exit the drainage there and work east back into the main drainage.

 

Glad STR is back up. When it's down you realize how good a resource it is to find out about what's going on locally in the MTB community.

Speaking of which, is there an update on all the conditions after the fire? The Warriors Society informed us that Motorway will be closed for a year and the VQ/CC course will be rerouted, but are all the other trails in the area okay to ride?

 

Here is what is closed:

Silverado Motorway(singletrack)
Maple Springs from Gate to 4 Corners
Main Divide from Eagle Rd to Bedford Rd

So basically you can take:
Main Divide from Beeks all the way to the bottom of the last big climb before Motorway. You will have to descend Eagle Rd or turn around.
Main Divide from 4 Corners to about 4 miles across. You will have to descend Bedford Rd or turn around.

Harding is open as is the rest of Main Divide.


http://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/cleveland/home/?cid=stelprd3819091&width=full

Here is a map:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3819998.pdf




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[TD]Silverado Fire - Burned Area Emergency Response

Cleveland National Forest lands and roads in the Silverado Fire burned area vicinity will be subject to administrative closure starting October 22, 2014 until September 30, 2015. The emergency closure is being implemented in order to address concerns related to resource protection, protection of public property, and public health and safety.
The following roads will be closed:
• Maple Springs Road
• Silverado Motorway Trail
• A portion of the North Main Divide, from Bedford Road to Eagle Peak Road

This temporary closure will allow the burned area time to begin regrowth of the vegetation to allow stabilization which will decrease the probability of severe flash flooding and mud flows in the burned and adjoining areas. The order will be periodically reassessed, and can be modified if, and when, appropriate.

Closure Documents
Silverado Fire Emergency Closure Order NO. 02-14-02 (PDF, 59 KB)
Silverado Fire Closure Map (PDF, 2 MB)

The Silverado Fire Burned Area Emergency Response documents are located at the bottom of the page.

Silverado Fire
The Silverado Fire began in the late morning of September 12, 2014 on private property in Silverado Canyon, in northern Orange County. The fire soon burned onto the Cleveland National Forest, through predominately flashy mixed chaparral vegetation, aided by high fire indices, and extreme weather conditions.
The cooperative emergency response, in both initial attack and for the extended incident, followed a strategy of safeguarding lives and property, with a focus on firefighter safety as its number one priority. By the time the fire was declared contained on September 20, it had burned a total of approximately 968 acres, 935 of which were National Forest System lands. The incident resulted in no structures lost, and minimal injuries to responding personnel.
Watershed Emergency
Although the wildfire emergency has concluded, the watershed emergency is still ongoing. The loss of vegetation has exposed soil to erosion; runoff may increase and cause flooding, and sediments may move downstream and damage infrastructure or property, or fill reservoirs, and put natural or cultural resources at risk. As potential hazards to life or safety are identified downstream from National Forest System lands, it is important to extend notification of hazardous or unsafe conditions to all affected parties. As such, the Forest Service is coordinating with the appropriate agencies regarding the potential flooding and sedimentation threats that exist in the watershed.
The soils on National Forest System lands within the Silverado Fire have been identified as having an erosion hazard rating of Very Severe, but the majority of the slopes within the burn area exceed 50%. Slopes over 50% are generally not considered practical or feasible for treatments, as this is a range at which success is considered doubtful.
Aside from stabilization measures on Maple Springs Road and the Silverado Motorway Trail, no other effective treatments have been identified on federal lands; rather, closure measures and signage have been determined to provide the most effective means of recovery.
Burned Area Emergency Response
The Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) assessment for the Silverado Fire took place from September 15 through 25, 2014. The BAER program uses appropriated funds to identify those imminent post-wildfire threats to “values at risk” on NFS lands and take immediate actions, as appropriate, to manage unacceptable risks to life, property, water quality, and deteriorated ecosystems, after a fire is out. For more information on the BAER program, please visit the following links:
http://www.fs.fed.us/biology/watershed/burnareas/
http://www.nifc.gov/BAER/Page/NIFC_BAER.html

Burned-Area Emergency Reports
Burned-Area Reports provide a summary of the Silverado BAER analysis. The included specialist reports for Biology, Hydrology, and Soils, provide detailed descriptions of identified threats and emergency conditions for the values at risk in the burned area. Due to the topography and non-Federal adjacent lands involved in the burn area and watershed, the BAER analysis appropriately included consideration of those lands in the surveys and reports to determine post-fire risks.
Notable results of the BAER analysis include indications of a high risk of flooding within the Silverado Canyon vicinity. In a 2-year modelled storm (3.73inches within a 24-hour period), peak flows in this burned watershed are estimated to exceed normal 20 to 30 year peak flows. With the increased runoff and sediment delivery, the post-fire flows could lead to plugged culverts, flow over road surfaces, erosion of slopes, deposition along road surfaces and relief ditches, loss of long-term soil productivity, and threats to human safety.
The Forest Service and United States Geological Survey (USGS) are performing a supplemental geological analysis of the burn area the week of October 6 (which will be made available to the public upon completion). An earlier analysis conducted by the USGS displays the estimates of the probability of debrisflow within the drainage basin for a 10-year storm. That preliminary landslide hazard analysis is available as an interactive map.

Federal help for impacted private property owners
Forest Service BAER treatments are not available on non-federal property downstream of NFS lands. However, private property owners are being made aware of the Emergency Watershed Protection Program administered by our sister agency, the Natural Resource Conservation Service. Funds from this program may be used to help finance watershed protection work on State, Tribal and private lands, for more information please please go to theNatural Resource Conservation Service website.
Documents

Silverado Fire - Burned Area Emergency Response Report (PDF, 661 KB)

Silverado Fire - Burned Area Emergency Response Biological Resources Report (PDF, 365 KB)

Silverado Fire - Burned Area Emergency Response Hydrology Assessment (PDF, 3 MB)

Silverado Fire - Burned Area Emergency Response Soil Report (PDF, 237 KB)


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thanks mtnbikej for the info please keep us informed of any changes thanks again

 

yes, thanks for the thorough response mtnbikej!

 

I'm thinking to ride up Holy Jim to Main Divide then go to Trabuco trail down. Specially West Horsethief and Trabuco trail area...Are these trail open?
Thanks in advance if you can help with the info.

 

Everything on that side of the Santiago Peak is open.

 

Went up West horse thief this morning, completely clear except the cloud cover which I loved.
going down Trabuco was pristine/rocky and clear for uninterrupted flow.

enjoy, steve

 

Yesterday/monday rode up holy jim to main divide, past WHT, to trabuco creek (unmarked, next to main divide/los pinos) .. down .. back to trabuco canyon… great weather…all trails are nice and open..trabuco downhill is full of dried leaves, upper portion and is in great shape to blast down...
first time doing the loop. trabuco is a great downhill single track.. but what a tough ride…going up holy jim gets you tired but when you think you're done, you hit the WALL on main divide.. the views were fantastic… only saw one motobiker, hikers, no riders...

steve,
Would you say going up WHT to Main divide to Trabuco creek down is easier than going up HJ to Main divide to traduco? Shorter/steeper verse longer? Never went up WHT .. is it just hike a bike?
thanks

Realized now that WHT was not blocked at all. I just missed the sign and the fork a couple of weeks ago. yesterday came down traduco per STR's suggestion and saw the WHT/trabuco sign on the way down… great single track downhill.. thanks for all the info..what a great area to ride… will go back and try WHT unto main divide instead of HJ to main divide..

 

IF you have never hiked your bike up WHT....you don't know what you are missing. Everyone should experience it at least once.