- Location
- Antioch, CA
On behalf of the Sierra Chapter BOD, and with their blessing, I would like to announce the dates and location of this year's Sierra Fest.
We are going back to the site of the very first official SierraFest run, circa 2007. Shaver Lake, CA is home to some of the finest trails that the Southern Sierras have to offer. We will be holding the event near Dinky Creek, about 25 miles from the town of Shaver Lake. The dates for the event are August 10th - 15th, 2015.
The main trail we will be running is Swamp Lake. We have tentatively planned to run that trail mid-week. The plan is to spend 1 day wheeling the first half of Swamp Lake and setting up camp at Grouse Lake. Day 2 will be spent relaxing, hiking, swimming, and enjoying the area. Day 3 we will wheel the 2nd half of the trail and return to the Dinky Creek area.
Saturday the 15th we will be running the Bald Mountain trail. This is an easy trail with many optional obstacles to play around on. The actual trail itself can be run with a 2wd vehicle. We will break for lunch at the top of Bald Mtn, and head back to Dinky Creek for the BBQ dinner and raffle.
There will also be day runs on Monday and Friday on yet to be determined trails. Due to the high elevation of this area, approx 9000 feet elevation, the trails are subject to seasonal closures and will only open when clear of all snow. So unfortunately we don't have any set trails for the these days until we know for sure which trails are actually open. Most likely it will include Red Lake/Coyote Lake trails, and Brewer Lake trail for the day runs.
The BBQ and raffle will be held on Saturday night, August 15th.
Q&A:
Where the heck is Shaver Lake. It is in the Southern Sierras east of Fresno. Follow Highway 168 into the town of Shaver Lake and to Dinkey Creek Rd, turn right and follow the road for approx 24 miles for the meeting area near McKinley Grove rd. Specific directions to the staging/meeting area will be posted as the event gets closer.
What about tow rig parking and camping? The normal meeting area has plenty of free camping and tow rig parking.
Wow, that seems far away. From the Bay Area it is about a 4 hour trip. For comparison it takes me 3 hours to get to Hermit Valley from the bay. Sacramento area people will have a similar drive time of 4 hours.
What about showers, gas, ice, and supplies? The general store in Dinkey Creek has has gas (although it is very expensive), pay showers with plenty of hot water, ice, and plenty of food. They do close early so if you want a hot shower you need to get there before closing. The town of Shaver Lake is about 30 to 45 minutes away from Dinkey Creek and has full service supermarkets, restraunts, and gas stations.
How hard of a trail is Swamp Lake? Swamp Lake is similar in terrain and length to the Rubicon. While many rigs with open differentials have run this trail with some difficulty, at least one full locker and 31" tires is recommended. If running with 31" tires it is also recommended that rock rails and skid plates be installed. If you have stock axles and steering it is highly recommended that you bring spare parts and the tools required to replace them.
What about the other trails? If your rig has one full locker and 33" tires you won't have many issues running any of the trails in the area. Bald mountain is a very easy trail to run with many optional obstacles. If you choose only to run the trail you will still have a great time enjoying the scenery, and watching other rigs try their luck on the fun stuff. The lookout at the top of Bald Mountain gives you a really nice high perspective of the area.
Is there anything else to do other than wheeling? Shaver Lake is a winter resort community but during the summer it turns into one of the premier outdoor recreation locations. The town of Shaver Lake has many cabins available for weekly rentals. There are also boat rentals and biking & hiking trails around the lake. Near the meeting area in Dinkey Creek there is a large grove of Giant Sequioa trees that are impressive to see. Along Dinkey Creek Rd there are numerous trailheads for scenic and challenging hiking trails. Town is about 30 to 45 minutes away from the meeting area.
Check out the 2007 event forum for some insight into what the event will be(closed to new posts): http://www.naxja.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=186
We are going back to the site of the very first official SierraFest run, circa 2007. Shaver Lake, CA is home to some of the finest trails that the Southern Sierras have to offer. We will be holding the event near Dinky Creek, about 25 miles from the town of Shaver Lake. The dates for the event are August 10th - 15th, 2015.
The main trail we will be running is Swamp Lake. We have tentatively planned to run that trail mid-week. The plan is to spend 1 day wheeling the first half of Swamp Lake and setting up camp at Grouse Lake. Day 2 will be spent relaxing, hiking, swimming, and enjoying the area. Day 3 we will wheel the 2nd half of the trail and return to the Dinky Creek area.
Saturday the 15th we will be running the Bald Mountain trail. This is an easy trail with many optional obstacles to play around on. The actual trail itself can be run with a 2wd vehicle. We will break for lunch at the top of Bald Mtn, and head back to Dinky Creek for the BBQ dinner and raffle.
There will also be day runs on Monday and Friday on yet to be determined trails. Due to the high elevation of this area, approx 9000 feet elevation, the trails are subject to seasonal closures and will only open when clear of all snow. So unfortunately we don't have any set trails for the these days until we know for sure which trails are actually open. Most likely it will include Red Lake/Coyote Lake trails, and Brewer Lake trail for the day runs.
The BBQ and raffle will be held on Saturday night, August 15th.
Q&A:
Where the heck is Shaver Lake. It is in the Southern Sierras east of Fresno. Follow Highway 168 into the town of Shaver Lake and to Dinkey Creek Rd, turn right and follow the road for approx 24 miles for the meeting area near McKinley Grove rd. Specific directions to the staging/meeting area will be posted as the event gets closer.
What about tow rig parking and camping? The normal meeting area has plenty of free camping and tow rig parking.
Wow, that seems far away. From the Bay Area it is about a 4 hour trip. For comparison it takes me 3 hours to get to Hermit Valley from the bay. Sacramento area people will have a similar drive time of 4 hours.
What about showers, gas, ice, and supplies? The general store in Dinkey Creek has has gas (although it is very expensive), pay showers with plenty of hot water, ice, and plenty of food. They do close early so if you want a hot shower you need to get there before closing. The town of Shaver Lake is about 30 to 45 minutes away from Dinkey Creek and has full service supermarkets, restraunts, and gas stations.
How hard of a trail is Swamp Lake? Swamp Lake is similar in terrain and length to the Rubicon. While many rigs with open differentials have run this trail with some difficulty, at least one full locker and 31" tires is recommended. If running with 31" tires it is also recommended that rock rails and skid plates be installed. If you have stock axles and steering it is highly recommended that you bring spare parts and the tools required to replace them.
What about the other trails? If your rig has one full locker and 33" tires you won't have many issues running any of the trails in the area. Bald mountain is a very easy trail to run with many optional obstacles. If you choose only to run the trail you will still have a great time enjoying the scenery, and watching other rigs try their luck on the fun stuff. The lookout at the top of Bald Mountain gives you a really nice high perspective of the area.
Is there anything else to do other than wheeling? Shaver Lake is a winter resort community but during the summer it turns into one of the premier outdoor recreation locations. The town of Shaver Lake has many cabins available for weekly rentals. There are also boat rentals and biking & hiking trails around the lake. Near the meeting area in Dinkey Creek there is a large grove of Giant Sequioa trees that are impressive to see. Along Dinkey Creek Rd there are numerous trailheads for scenic and challenging hiking trails. Town is about 30 to 45 minutes away from the meeting area.
Check out the 2007 event forum for some insight into what the event will be(closed to new posts): http://www.naxja.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=186
arty:
