[JL de Jong]

Menso and I are planning an epic Coe ride on a sunny December day (if we get one). We're thinking of Hunting Hollow to Dowdy Vistor Center and back.
Just looking at the map, I was thinking:
Hunting Hollow Road,
Wagon Road
Long Dam Trail
Vasquez Road
Dormida Trail (obscure trail, does it exist?)
Burra Burra Trail
Dowdy Visitor Center
Back via Center Flats Road
(Time permitting: Mack's Corral and Scherrer Trails first, if we can find them).
Wagon Road, Tule Pond and Grizzly Gulch back to HH.

What do the experts think? Roy, Charlie?

Thanks, J.L.

 

[Portola Vince]

I did this ride a few years ago. You will be glad to have a new helmet on for the descent in to Dormida Canyon, especially following Menso. On the way out to BurraBurra you will be glad to have some shoes comfortable for walking in. It has been a few years but I remember the climb out as well beyond my comfort level as far as staying on the bike is concerned. It is a great ride even with the walk up to Burra Burra. At the bottom of the canyon it is a little tricky to find the trailhead going up the other side. Once you are on it though it's fairly obvious. It's pretty much chaparral so it shouldn't be overgrown.

 

[Diesel~]

Vince is right on all accounts. Dormida is not a fun hike with a bike, and a GPS in this area can help, if you can't find the trail.

A few more opinions of Dormida here:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=382589

Mack's corral should not be too hard to find going down, though it can be hard to find if you are coming the other direction (up from the creek).

Sounds like a great ride; have fun out there!

Below are a few pix to get you pumped to on the area.

-D

1. Dormida
2. Tiedown peak
3. View east from Burra Burra area
4+5. "Old" Dowdy Ranch

 

[Skyline35]

…Dormida is not a fun hike with a bike…

+1

My Dormida experience: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=237761

If you go, I lost a lens hood on the Dormida Trail; could you keep an eye open for it?

btw, there are no sign posts for the Dormida trail.

Going up Scherrer Trail is not recommended by me either.

Thanks Diesel~ for those pictures of the old Dowdy Ranch, I hadn't seen it before.

///Charlie

 

[Plim]

+1

...

Going up Scherrer Trail is not recommended by me either.

...

It took me three tries before I managed to correctly follow Scherrer trail from top to bottom without getting lost and then just picking my way cross-country until I hit Kaiser-Aetna road. Going up, I found it easier to stay on trail, but it was a lot of hike-a-bike due to steepness - rode very little of it. Things may have changed with the fire and time.

 

[JL de Jong]

OK, we'll skip Scherrer and check the map at home and see what other trails lead back to HH, besides Center Flat road. Dutch trail sounds good to a Dutchman, but Yellow Jacket doesn't.
I've never been to the Vasquez hole, so we'll do that on the way out, when we're still fresh. Climbing HH Road, Wagon Road and Long Dam trail looks pretty easy (by Coe standards).
- J.L.

 

[rensho]

From what I remember about Vasquez, Roy and Charlie think it is a very memorable climb. One of those must do climbs I think.

 

[TahoeBC]

Vasquez is one place I'll probably never return to.....

Agony on Vasquez

</img>

Photo courtesy of El Hombre

 

[msiddens]

LORD, beautiful but BRUTAL. I think I'll leave the SS at home for that one.

 

[Portola Vince]

You know it's steep when you see that dude pushing.

 

[plymmer]

That Route

Well, I guess I should have been paying attention. Vasquez Road/Trail should be experienced at least once. It definitely makes an epic really epic. And I gotta do those since it's the name of my bike. I would do the Vasquez Trail first. That picture of me is on the near end of that save the kittens ride. I was not feeling real chipper at that moment. It's one of the real steep climbs at Coe. Vasquez: Straight down and straight up. Dormida Trail was non-existent and just straight up. A GPS is a good idea. Thanks to Charlie's sense of direction for getting us to what finally looked like a trail when I did it once with him. As far as getting there, Wagon to Long Dam Trail to Vasquez is o.k. You have to pay the verticle god's of Coe at some point. That would be on Center Flats Road on the way back. Steep climbing (that has alternately beat the crap out of me and been not so bad).

We also punished ourselves on the Mac's Corral Trail (after a little jig that I entertained everyone with at Mac's Corral) which is truly punishing also. Very steep for a long period of time. I highly recommend Dutch's Trail and Yellowjacket Trail. From there you can decide if you want to take the North Fork Trail (rocky technical with creek crossings, probably by now) and Mac's Corral Trail or Kaiser-Aetna Road (which is easier but a pretty good grunt for a mile).

You really need to experience the harsher roads of the Dormida Zone. It is a section of park that is rarely used. Maybe for good reason. But still, I like it.

Roy.

 

[plymmer]

Well?

Did you do this ride? It's now January. Just curious about the results.

Roy.

 

[Menso]

Did you do this ride? It's now January. Just curious about the results.

Roy.

nope. It started raining, then it snowed, so we went skiing. I'm back at school now.